Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been in the news for the past few weeks. The mainstays of Indian cricket performed poorly in Tests against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia, calling their place into question.
Following their failure with the bat, numerous experts have suggested that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should play domestic cricket to regain form. Even head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that every player must play domestic cricket to keep in rhythm.
The BCCI has recently prioritized domestic cricket. Last year, when Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan refused to play the domestic season, they were pulled from the BCCI central contracts and also left out from the Indian team.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to escape Iyer-Kishan-like ban? BCCI official reveals
Rumors suggest that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli may face the same fate. However, according to reports in the Hindustan Times, both of Indian cricket’s greats are unlikely to face the same fate if they do not participate in the Ranji Trophy.
A BCCI official stated that the governing body believes that if Virat Kohli wants to participate, he must bat like his former self and adhere to the fundamentals.
“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,” the BCCI official told Hindustan Times.
The official stated that it was not a “diktat” to prioritize domestic cricket following India’s dismal batting performance on the Australian tour. However, if somebody does not play in the Ranji Trophy for valid fitness grounds, he may face consequences.
“If the players do not play Ranji Trophy without valid medical or fitness reasons, it would have a bearing on their future India selection,” he added.
He stated that spending time at the crease to rebuild confidence is essential for all players. He emphasized that it is necessary for all players, regardless of expertise.
“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,” he explained.
Following their failures in the Test series against Australia, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma received a lot of criticism. While the middle-order hitter scored roughly 190 runs, the skipper only managed 31 runs at an average of around 6.