Sunil Gavaskar questions resting of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for Duleep Trophy
The 2024-25 domestic cricket season in India is set to kick off with the Duleep Trophy on September 5. The tournament, which will conclude on September 22, will feature four teams comprising India’s top players. However, India’s aces Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will not feature in this tournament. Sunil Gavaskar, India’s former cricketer questions the idea of resting Virat and Rohit.
While most of India’s star players have been selected for the Duleep Trophy, some senior players, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin, have been granted exemptions. This means that Rohit and Kohli, who have only played three ODIs in Sri Lanka since the T20 World Cup, will go into the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh without much red-ball match practice.
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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has expressed concerns about the lack of match practice for Rohit and Kohli ahead of the crucial Test series. He believes that the selectors could have benefited from having these experienced players compete in the Duleep Trophy to get some much-needed batting time.
Gavaskar also commented on the exclusion of Jasprit Bumrah from the Duleep Trophy. While he understands the need to manage Bumrah’s workload due to his history of back injuries, he believes that the batters could have benefited from facing Bumrah in match conditions.
The Duleep Trophy squad includes several promising young players, such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shreyas Iyer. The tournament will also see the return of Rishabh Pant to red-ball cricket after his car accident in December 2022.
Other notable players selected for the Duleep Trophy include all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj.
Gavaskar believes that regular competition is essential for maintaining high standards, especially for players in their mid-thirties. He emphasized the importance of match practice in keeping muscle memory sharp and ensuring that players are well-prepared for international cricket.
The upcoming Test series against Bangladesh will be a crucial challenge for the Indian team. The first match is scheduled to begin on September 19 in Chennai, followed by the second match on September 27 in Kanpur. The players who perform well in the Duleep Trophy will likely be considered for selection in the Test squad.
The Duleep Trophy is an important tournament for Indian domestic cricket. It provides a platform for players to showcase their skills and compete at a high level. The tournament’s outcome will have a significant impact on the selection of the Indian Test team for the Bangladesh series.
