The former Indian cricketer Madan Lal said on Tuesday that he was “very happy” to see the Indian men’s team players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli participating in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy. Captain Rohit Sharma will participate for Mumbai during the second weekend of the Ranji Trophy. Kohli has also confirmed his availability for Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Railways, according to sources from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). Virat’s last Ranji Trophy match was back in November 2012 against Uttar Pradesh, where he scored 14 runs in the first innings and 42 in the second. Speaking to ANI, Madan Lal said that these two senior players in first-class cricket can inspire other younger cricketers.
“I’m, exceptionally happy to see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing first-class cricket. You need to play matches in this tournament that have made you into a player. You should, whenever given a chance, play domestic cricket, because other young players might learn from you. These other players might become great players someday in their cricket career…,” said Madan Lal in an interview with ANI.
He added that if Kohli and Rishabh Pant feature for Delhi, they will advance to the next round quite easily.
“When Kohli plays, or Rohit plays, the morale of the team gets a huge boost. It becomes easier for Delhi to win, especially if the team is struggling to qualify. This was a very important step taken…this rule was there before as well but they used to avoid it. We never avoided first-class cricket,” he added.
Rohit’s return to first-class cricket coincides with mounting discussions about his future in Test cricket. At 37 years of age, he isn’t willing to abandon the longest format after missing the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Sydney earlier in the month.
Rohit’s performances of late in red-ball cricket have aroused suspicions. During the Australia tour, he managed only 31 runs in five innings across three Tests. His form in domestic games this season hasn’t been very impressive either; in ten innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand, he averaged just 13.30. Under his leadership, India has suffered 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand — their first-ever at home in a series of three or more matches.
Things dramatically changed after India suffered a 3-1 Panel during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The BCCI, for now, has taken a much tougher stand on the participation of Indian international stars in domestic cricket.
Earlier on Thursday, BCCI released key policy changes to the team India where it has become “mandatory” to participate in domestic matches decode is made “eligible” for selection to the senior national finals and for the central contracts.
