Rahul Dravid is to straightaway plunge into domestic cricket after playing in the drawn second and final Test against England at Mohali.
The former India skipper is to represent Karnataka, led by Robin Uthappa, against Saurashtra in the four-day Ranji Trophy quarter-final, commencing at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on December 26.
"Rahul is to arrive here (in Mumbai) tomorrow," said sources in the Karnataka team which practiced this afternoon at the Cricket Club of India.
Dravid, who notched up a century in the first innings of the Mohali Test, has already played two matches for his state in the league stage of the competition, at Mysore against Andhra and at Bangalore against Baroda.
The winners of the quarter-final tie here would meet either Mumbai or Himachal Pradesh in the semi-finals at Chennai from January 4-7.
Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan are expected to play for Mumbai in case the 37-time champions advance to the semi-final clash by winning the December 26-29 quarter-final against Himachal Pradesh at Ahmedabad.