KL Rahul, who played all the five Test matches against Australia, has requested for a break and will skip the Vijay Hazare knockouts.  Rahul’s availability for the second phase of the Ranji Trophy, beginning on January 23, will be decided later.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir had recently expressed his desire to see frontline Indian players making themselves available for the remainder of the premier domestic red-ball tournament.