An ex-India player suggests Virat and Rohit also play Ranji Trophy and says, ‘To penalize two isn’t correct’
Former all-rounder Kirti Azad, who was a part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, has supported the BCCI on its diktat to make it compulsory for players to appear in the Ranji Trophy. But in addition, he also wants the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to also play domestic cricket.
The BCCI excluded Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the list of centrally contracted players after the duo showed their reluctance to play in the Ranji Trophy. Meanwhile, ever since their Test debuts, Virat has played only one Ranji match in 2021, and Rohit also played a solitary match in 2015.
Azad said, “It (the directive) is a very good move. Everybody should be playing Ranji Trophy cricket, but currently the emphasis is on the IPL. It is good; it is entertaining, but the real cricket is the five days’ cricket. Playing in domestic cricket is good; it keeps you in touch. But whenever you are free, even if you’re Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, you should go back and play domestic cricket for the state.”
He added, "The state gave you the opportunity to be a player, get selected, and then play for the country. Just to penalize the two is not correct; I think everybody should be penalized. Everybody should be seen with the same mirror.”
Azad also gave the examples of Sunil Gavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi, who played domestic cricket regularly, which in turn helped the youngsters perform well.