The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has directed all international cricket players to participate in first-class cricket. Big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah will be exempt, but the fourth most important player of the Indian cricket team, Hardik Pandya, might be forced to participate in his first red-ball event since December 2018.
The Duleep Trophy, which will start on September 5, will be the first assignment for the players, with the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh beginning on September 19. A big reason behind the move is to keep the players battle-ready and get them in shape for the home season and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which starts on November 22.
Domestic cricket a priority
“This time there is no zonal selection committee for Duleep Trophy. Only national selection committee will pick Duleep teams. All Test team contenders will be picked. For Rohit, Virat and Bumrah, it will be their choice if they want to play or not,” a BCCI source told PTI.
Earlier, newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir also talked about how he wants in-form players to play in all three formats. Hardik, who’s going through a golden patch, performed exceptionally in the T20 World Cup 2024 and is all but certain to become Team India’s new T20I captain.
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Injury-prone Pandya to return to red-ball cricket?
The new BCCI directive will make sure that centrally contracted players continue to play domestic cricket, especially if they aren’t part of Team India, in all formats. Hardik, who plays just limited-overs cricket, might be forced to participate as well. In the past, the all-rounder has shied away from the format due to his injuries, but now he may not have a choice.
The pace-bowling all-rounder was more than a handy Test player during the 2017-2018 period. In the 11 matches he played, he had 1 century and 4 fifties to his name and a 5-wicket haul in England. However, constant injuries forced him out, and he hasn’t returned to red-ball cricket since.
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