Delhi: The on-air debate between former cricketers Irfan Pathan and Sunil Gavaskar and head coach Gautam Gambhir’s message to his team after the Sydney Test led to a discussion among BCCI officials on giving priority to domestic cricket. This issue was raised in the review meeting held in Mumbai on Saturday. The question is also whether the big players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, whom these statements hint at, will play in the second phase of 2024/25 Ranji Trophy starting from January 23 or not.
Strict action will not be taken against Virat-Rohit
Last year, BCCI had made a rule that players who are not on national duty will have to play domestic cricket. But, Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped midway through the Test series in January 2023, and Ishan Kishan, who took a mental health break, did not play Ranji Trophy. Although Iyer made a comeback for Mumbai in the semi-finals and final, the BCCI, unhappy with their earlier decision, dropped him from the central contract list.
Impact on future Team India selection
According to a recent report, if Kohli-Rohit do not play Ranji Trophy, then such strict action will not be taken against them. The report said that the board is of the opinion that if Kohli wants to play Test, he will have to return to his old form, for which it may be necessary to play in domestic cricket.
A board official said India’s decision to focus on domestic cricket after a poor batting performance in Australia is not a “hard and fast rule”. But, if players do not play in domestic tournaments without valid reasons, it may affect their future Team India selection. He said, “Spending time at the crease brings back confidence. It is up to the player to understand this, no matter how experienced he is.
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