After the fourth India vs England Test in Ranchi, that the hosts won by five wickets, skipper Rohit Sharma had emphasised on the importance of Test opportunities being only reserved for players who showed enough hunger. “Jin logon ko bhookh hai, hum unhi logon ko mauka denge (We will give opportunities to only those who are hungry),” Rohit had declared on Monday.
Now some of the BCCI state units have agreed with what the ‘Hitman’ said. “I concur with the Indian captain. There should be hunger in younger cricketers to play the longest format,” Abhilash Khandekar, president of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, told PTI.
For the same, the BCCI issued a directive earlier this month, asking the centrally-contracted players to appear in Ranji Trophy matches regularly. “Ranji Trophy cannot be taken lightly by any player, it is the backbone of Indian cricket. It is the most important tournament in domestic cricket. This should be followed up in other formats in domestic cricket,” Khandekar said.
Play Ranji, Become Better Players of Spin
Meanwhile, former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar feels if the top players can play for their states in the Ranji Trophy, it would make them better players of spin. “Playing Ranji is very important. It helps you play spin better on Indian wickets, your overall skills are improved. And when you play foreign teams, it becomes easier (to face spin),” said Vengsarkar.
“I feel it is a player’s wish whether to play Ranji or not. If he doesn’t want to play, we have enough in India to choose from, they will play and establish themselves. No one is bigger than the game. No one is indispensable,” he said.
Ban Players..
Just like Khandekar, another state unit official came up with a solid solution as well. “This was a much needed step and should have been taken earlier. If an India player is regularly featuring in Ranji Trophy, it acts a massive motivator to the younger players in the squad.
“I would also want the BCCI to empower state units to ban those players who don’t play Ranji Trophy. If a senior is dropped for once, the juniors would not dare to ignore their red ball commitments for T20 cricket,” said a state unit official requesting anonymity.
