If you are the captain, you should lead by example. And that’s exactly what Rohit Sharma has done. With India captain Rohit Sharma advocating the need to play domestic cricket after BCCI diktat, he marked his presence in Mumbai vs Vidarbha final. Even though he is exempted from playing domestic cricket as he is on a pre-IPL 2024 break, Rohit took his time out. He was present in the Mumbai dressing room and watched the Ranji final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma sends a message
Last month, BCCI issued a diktat to centrally contracted players. The Indian board asked players to be available for state teams if they are not in the India squad.
Ishan Kishan faced BCCI’s wrath by ignoring the diktat. BCCI removed him from central contract. Shreyas Iyer also suffered the same fate after he pulled out of the Ranji quarterfinals.
“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,” Rohit Sharma reiterated on the importance to play domestic cricket ahead of Dharamshala Test.
Now, by attending Ranji Trophy Final, Rohit Sharma has sent a strong message to the players. They must play domestic cricket if they are fit to be eligible for India call-up.
BCCI diktat
With players refusing to play Ranji Trophy or domestic cricket, BCCI took a strong stance.
In a letter to the players and state associations, BCCI made it clear that players have to play domestic cricket to be eligible for India selection.
“The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team,” BCCI said in a statement.
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