Gambhir steps down as Delhi Ranji captain

Cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Monday stepped down as the captain of the Delhi Ranji team and said it was time for young guns to lead the squad.

The 37-year-old left-handed batsman took to Twitter to announce his decision: "Time to pass the captaincy baton to youngsters, hence have requested the DDCA selectors not to consider me for that role. I will be in the background helping the new leader to win games."

Reportedly, middle-order batsman Nitish Rana, 24, would be appointed as the new captain for the ongoing 2018-19 Ranji season after Gambhir's decision.

Delhi is slated to face Himachal Pradesh on November 12 at their homeground Feroz Shah Kotla.

However, the experienced batsman did not clarify his role in the team as a player for upcoming assignments.

The in-form Gambhir recently led Delhi to the summit clash of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also scored a brilliant 151 against Kerala followed by a clinical 104 against Haryana in the quarterfinal.

Earlier in the year, Gambhir had stepped down from captaincy of Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Delhi Daredevils and warmed the bench in the last eight games of the tournament.

--IANS

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