Right now, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma cannot escape. Ex-cricketers, fans, and, if reports are to be believed, even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) either want them gone or to show they are still interested in improving themselves. They are no longer allowed to turn up if and when they wish to, only to fail and let the Indian cricket team down.
Full commitment needed for Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar thinks the coming weeks are extremely important for Indian cricket. He believes full commitment is paramount, and until you have some medical emergency, the BCCI shouldn’t let a player skip any tournament just because they wish to.
“I think the next 8–10 days are crucial for Indian cricket to take a good, honest look at itself. Most importantly, the star culture has to end. Total commitment to Indian cricket is non-negotiable. Players must make themselves available every single time unless there’s a genuine medical emergency. If someone isn’t fully committed, they shouldn’t be considered for selection,” Gavaskar told India Today.
Skipping matches, no more allowed
What Gavaskar is referring to is Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma skipping matches/series, which ultimately came to bite Team India back. For the birth of his second child, Kohli stayed back in London from January to March and chose to skip the entire 2024 India vs. England Test series. Rohit too missed the Perth Test for the birth of his second child. Both decisions didn’t hurt Team India at the time, but questions were raised by many over their absence.
“We don’t need players who are partly here and partly elsewhere. It’s time to stop pampering anyone. The recent results have been disappointing—we should have been in the World Test Championship final but didn’t make it,” he added.
BCCI must take action
The star batters also chose to skip the Duleep Trophy despite not having played Test cricket in over 6 months before the Bangladesh Test series. This was despite neither Kohli nor Rohit Sharma playing much cricket after retiring from T20I cricket post their victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. The BCCI was happy to let them rest then, but the results of that have come in now, and Gavaskar wants the board to take some action, or Indian cricket might suffer.
“The cricket board needs to stop acting like admirers and put their foot down. They must tell the players that Indian cricket comes first. It’s either a full commitment to Indian cricket or other priorities—you can’t have it both ways. If Indian cricket is your priority, only then should you be selected,” Gavaskar concluded.
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