Indian captain Rohit Sharma has said players not on national duty must play domestic cricket unless deemed unfit by BCCI doctors.
The Indian captain’s comments come only days after the BCCI rejected Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer while announcing the central contracts for the 2023-24 season. Kishan and Shreyas reportedly declined playing in the Ranji Trophy. After missing the quarterfinals, Shreyas played for Mumbai against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinals.
At a conference ahead of the fifth India vs England Test, Rohit reiterated the BCCI’s stance on domestic cricket’s importance.
“There has been talk about this for a long, long time. That when the players are available, they’ve got to make themselves available to play domestic cricket, unless they have been given a certificate from the medical group that they want to be rested or will not be taking part in domestic cricket, but if you are available, if you are fit, if you’re fine, it is important that we go and play that.”
“It is not for just few cricketers, it is for everyone to make sure that whenever you’re available, and fine, you should be able to play domestic cricket.”
Rohit Sharma
There have been conflicting reactions to the BCCI’s decision to exclude Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the contract list.
Many senior players have not played domestic cricket but received contracts from the board.
“Important that we give importance to domestic cricket” – Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has been practicing for the Dharamsala Test while also studying the current Ranji Trophy 2024. He referred to the games as crucial, saying:
“You saw the Ranji trophy that was played this week. I watched Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. Obviously, there was a very interesting game happening today as well, I think Vidarbha won.”
“When games like that happen, you see the quality and everything coming into display for everyone to watch. It is important that we give importance to domestic cricket, which is the core of Indian cricket.”
Rohit Sharma
Vidarbha will face Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024 final from March 10 to 14.