India National Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been in the news for the last few weeks. The stalwarts of Indian cricket failed badly in the Tests against Bangladesh, New Zealand as well as Australia, following which their place has come under question.
Following their failure with the bat, there have been several opinions that have claimed that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need to play domestic cricket to return to form. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir mentioned that every player needs to play domestic cricket to stay in rhythm.
The BCCI has given a lot of importance to domestic cricket of late. Last year, when Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan didn’t agree to play the domestic season, they were dropped from the BCCI central contracts and also were omitted from the India National Cricket Team in all three formats of the game.
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 – BCCI official
There have been rumors that the same fate might follow for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, as per the reports in Hindustan Times, it is learned that both of the greats of Indian cricket are unlikely to face the same fate if they don’t play in the Ranji Trophy.
A BCCI official mentioned that the governing body feels that if Virat Kohli wants to play, he needs to bat like his old self and follow the basics. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he explained:
“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.”
“If the players do not play Ranji Trophy without 1fitness reasons, it would have a bearing on their future India selection” – BCCI official
The official mentioned that it wasn’t a “diktat” to prioritize domestic cricket in the wake of India’s poor batting show on the tour of Australia. But stressed that if anyone doesn’t play Ranji Trophy without valid fitness reasons then he might have to pay the price. He added:
“If the players do not play Ranji Trophy without valid medical or fitness reasons, it would have a bearing on their future India selection.”
There’s no substitute to spending time at the crease to regain confidence – BCCI official on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
He added that spending at the crease to regain confidence is a must for every player. He stressed that no matter how experienced a player is, it is a must for everyone. He explained:
“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,”
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came under massive pump after their failures in the Test series against Australia. While the middle-order batter amassed around 190 runs, the captain managed just 31 runs at an average of around 6.
Read Also: IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer announced as Punjab Kings captain by Salman Khan