As the Indian cricket team geared up for their 5th and final Test outing against England in Dharamsala, captain Rohit Sharma reaffirmed his stance on the importance of playing domestic cricket during the press conference on Wednesday. The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have been in the headlines for their reluctance to play Ranji Trophy but Rohit feels it’s important for everyone to play domestic cricket unless there’s a medical reason, certified by the team. Though Rohit didn’t take the names of Iyer and Kishan, he was firm with his message, highlighting how important it is to play First-Class cricket.
“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,” said Rohit in the press conference.
“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 is busy preparing for the Dharamsala Test but still found time to track the recently concluded semi-finals of Ranji Trophy that saw participation from his own domestic side Mumbai.
“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 (they did on Wednesday).
“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,” said the skipper.
During the chat with media personnel, Rohit also addressed the topic of Rajat Patidar’s poor form. While the middle-order batter has scored a plethora of runs in domestic cricket, he hasn’t yet succeeded in replicating the same for Team India in interantional cricket. However, Rohit continues to back him.
“Rajat Patidar hasn’t scored as many runs as we wanted to. But he has the capability.He has got runs in domestic cricket. He has lost out on opportunity here, it happens when you are starting your career. It’s our job that he doesn’t feel pressure internally,” said the India captain, reaffirming his faith in the young batter.
The likes of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer will next be seen in action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, looking to impress the selectors and earn a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad. However, with the competition for places highly intense, the duo would need to put in an extraordinary performance to do so.
