India cricket team head coach, Gautam Gambhir, gave a hint or perhaps warned Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli about what’s about to come if they don’t play in domestic cricket. The star batters had a quiet run with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, and although questions over their place were raised mid-series, the voices of criticism are louder than ever now.
Gautam Gambhir’s domestic directive
Gambhir knew he’d be asked about their performance, potential retirement, and the possibility of playing domestic cricket/Ranji Trophy. That latter was indeed posed to him as a question in Sydney after Australia sealed the series 3-1. He stated that he wants each player of his team to play domestic cricket and values its results immensely.
“I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket. That is how much importance domestic cricket needs to be given. Not only one game. If they are available and they have the commitment to play red-ball cricket, everyone should play domestic cricket. As simple as it can get. If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the desired players that you want,” Gambhir said in Sydney.
However, one is not sure how much of what Gambhir has said is true or applies. Some of the players he picked for the BGT, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, aren’t exactly domestic stars in red-ball cricket. Those who were Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, and Mukesh Kumar warmed the bench throughout the 5-match Test series. If Gambhir indeed values domestic cricket, he’s not done a great job to show it.
Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma’s Duleep Trophy refusal
Coming back to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the senior pros have earned themselves the benefit of the doubt. For years, they have won India cricket team matches in all formats. But everyone knew they were on a decline, more so in Kohli’s case than Rohit’s, but that T20 World Cup winning campaign bought them a lot of latitude from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Everyone wanted them to play in the Duleep Trophy last year. They had played 3 matches from July to August, and everyone wanted them to feature in a couple of matches before facing Bangladesh at home. But both wished to rest, and BCCI granted them that. Well, the results are out, and they aren’t great. Since then, Rohit Sharma averages under 11 and Virat Kohli under 23.
Both have made it clear they aren’t retiring. But given their form, the selectors aren’t sure they slot in. The only remedy to that is them featuring in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. It won’t guarantee them scoring heaps of runs again, but playing red-ball after a 6-month gap can’t be good for a player to succeed in Test cricket, especially at their age.
BCCI’s Ranji Trophy vs Champions Trophy conundrum for Rohit-Kohli
Kohli hasn’t played for Delhi since 2013, and his Ranji Trophy match came in 2012. For Rohit Sharma, it’s been 7 years since he featured for Mumbai. But that was in white-ball cricket, the Vijay Hazare Trophy. For his last domestic red-ball appearance, you’ll have to go back to 2015.
Both can play the two remaining matches for Mumbai and Delhi, but that would mean skipping the England ODI series and going in undercooked for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. But if they don’t play in the Ranji Trophy, how can one even make a case for either of them being a part of the squad for the India vs England Test series?
That’s why we’ll have to see what Gambhir tells Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to do. Even former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar is interested. “Well, we will find out whether it’s lip service (from Gambhir). There is some domestic cricket (Ranji Trophy) happening in the next 15 days. We will find out whether what the coach wants actually happens and what the players do. There are some players who have taken their places for granted, thinking they cannot be dropped, no matter what. Let us see if they obey the coach’s call and play. Let’s wait and see,” Gavaskar told India Today.
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