Indian national cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been in the news over the past few weeks. Indian cricket stalwarts failed badly in Tests against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia, after which their place came into question.
After their failure with the bat, there were many opinions claiming that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need to play domestic cricket to return to their form. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir mentioned that every player needs to play domestic cricket to stay in the rhythm.
BCCI has given a lot of importance to domestic cricket in recent times. Last year, when Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan did not agree to play in the domestic season, they were dropped from BCCI central contracts and also dropped from the India national cricket team in all three formats of the game.
However, for Kohli, there is a strong view within the board that if he is keen to keep playing, he should bat with as much pomp as before – BCCI official.
There were rumors that the same fate might follow Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, according to reports in Hindustan Times, it has been learned that both the greats of Indian cricket are unlikely to meet the same fate if they do not play in the Ranji Trophy.
A BCCI official said that the governing body feels that if Virat Kohli wants to play, he should play like his old self and follow the basics. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he explained:
“For Kohli, there is a strong view within the board that if he is keen to continue playing, he must bat with as much pomp as before, and for that reason, a return to basics may be necessary.”
“If players do not play Ranji Trophy without fitness reasons, it will have an impact on their selection for India in the future” – BCCI official.
The official stated that it was not a “dictation” to prioritize domestic cricket in the wake of India's poor batting display on the tour of Australia. But he stressed that if anyone plays Ranji Trophy without proper fitness reasons, they may have to pay the price. He added:
“If players do not play the Ranji Trophy without medical or fitness reasons, it will have an impact on their future selection for India.”
There is no substitute for spending time at the crease to regain confidence – BCCI official on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
He added that spending in order to restore confidence is a must for every player. He stressed that whatever the player’s experience, it is everyone’s duty. He explained:
“There's no substitute for spending time at the crease to regain confidence. It's up to the player, no matter how experienced, to realize that.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were under immense pressure after their failure in the Test series against Australia. While the middle-order batsman amassed around 190 runs, the captain managed only 31 runs at an average of around 6.
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