BCCI’s last year mandate for players not on national duty are unlikely to be faced by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Shreyas Iyer who was dropped midway through home Test series in January 2023 and Ishan Kishan who had taken a mental health break, skipped the Ranji Trophy. Their actions angered the BCCI and also saw removal of their names from the central contract list. This sparked a huge debate, and many talked about the necessity of domestic cricket participation.
Will Kohli-Rohit have the same fat like Shreyas-Kishan?
Reportedly, the case will not be similar this time for Kohli and Rohit. Despite expert opinions coming from former cricketers like Irfan Pathan and Sunil Gavaskar and discussions within the BCCI regarding the domestic cricket prioritisation, a Hindustan Times report suggests otherwise.
The report on Monday read ,”With Kohli though, there is a strong view within the board that if he is keen to play on, he should bat with pomp like before and for that returning to the basics may be necessary.” A board official insisted that the move to prioritise domestic cricket in the wake of India’s poor performance in Australia was not a ‘diktat’.
Domestic cricket participation not a ‘diktat’ anymore?
“If the players do not play Ranji Trophy without valid medical or fitness reasons, it would have a bearing on their future India selection,” the report added. Meanwhile a BCCI official remarked, “There’s no substitute to spending time at the crease to regain confidence. It is for the player, no matter how experienced, to realise it,” a BCCI official said.
However, it was not the case even a few months ago. Kohli and Rohit were rumoured to take part in the Duleep Trophy in September as they had not been in action since the T20 world Cup win. But they skipped the tournament. But Kohli’s struggle again the spin continued. India ‘s horrendous campaign against New Zealand at home started the round of controversies that also included Gambhir’s style of coaching.
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