BCCI wasn’t wrong in asking some of the top Indian players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, to play in the Ranji Trophy. But then there is a certain downside to it. How will just one match help their case — where they have been struggling to score runs, and been getting out in the same fashion, over and over again, for years now.
One Ranji Trophy Match Not Enough
Virat’s issue in dealing with deliveries outside off stump has been much used by the oppositions — in IND vs AUS series, he was out eight times like that, and for Rohit, his nemesis has been the rising short delivery — that he tries to pull half-heartedly. They have been so poor that Rohit in 35 matches since 2020 — in 35 matches has scored 2160 runs at an average of 36, and Virat has scored 2028 in 39 matches, at an average of 30.
The key to bounce back is to play in Ranji Trophy consistently, but then international commitments and pressure of the IPL will not just allow them to play in the Ranji Trophy regularly. Yes, that is the hard reality. While Virat missed the Jan 23 fixture for Delhi, Rohit might miss out on the Jan 30 fixture for Mumbai. So that would mean only Ranji match in a decade or so.
Dwindling Numbers for Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli
Instead, what that did was, the Indian skipper ended up taking up spot of a Ranji regular in Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ayush Mhatre. He himself failed twice in the match vs J&K, where he returned with scores of 3 & 28. So, how is this even justified? That would be the same when Virat turns for for Delhi’s match on Jan 30.
Even if, let us just assume, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma produce/d double hundreds for their respective teams, that would not necessarily mean them bouncing back to form. The quality of bowling in the domestic circuit is far inferior, from what you would expect from top international teams.
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For instance, the Delhi player in Ranji Trophy — has played 23 matches and scored 1574 runs at an average of 50. While in Tests, in he averages 46.85 and has scored 9230 runs in 123 matches. As for the Mumbai player, the difference is even bigger. In Ranji, he averages 70 in 43 matches, having scored 3923 runs, while in Tests, he averages 40 in 67 games, scoring only 4301 runs.
So, if the BCCI is dead serious about out of form players, playing the Ranji Trophy, then these star players would have to dedicate more time to Ranji — or else it just a waste of time for the fans and even the players, since it won’t benefit them much.
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