Rohit Sharma had said that players with hunger and zeal for Test cricket will only be preferred.
The club vs. country debate has raged for years, and Rohit's stern statement came at a time when two established names in Indian cricket -- Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan -- ignored a BCCI directive to play Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, instead focusing on their IPL preparation.
"Jin logon ko bhookh hai, hum unhi logon ko mauka denge (We will give opportunities to only those who are hungry).Agar hunger nahi hai to unko khila ke koi matlab nahi hai (There's no point in playing those who don't have the hunger),” Rohit had said in the post-match presentation.
Several state association leaders recognized that Rohit was correct when he indicated that people who are not willing to put in the effort should not be considered for the most difficult format. However, they believe that a structure should be in place to prevent such a situation from occurring.
Rohit’s words got support from the president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, Abhilash Khandekar.
"I concur with the Indian captain. There should be hunger in younger cricketers to play the longest format. Ranji Trophy cannot be taken lightly by any player, it is the backbone of Indian cricket. It is the most important tournament in domestic cricket. This should be followed up in other formats in domestic cricket,” he told PTI.
Another official said that the Ranji Trophy ran the risk of "a slow death if it was not made mandatory for top players to compete. “
"I complement BCCI for compelling players to play for their state in the Ranji Trophy. I see it as a case of better late than never, this is going to help domestic cricket in a big way," Khandekar added.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar believes that if great players represent their respective states in the Ranji Trophy whenever possible, it can only help them improve as spinners.
"Playing Ranji is very important. It helps you play spin better on Indian wickets, your overall skills are improved. And when you play foreign teams, it becomes easier (to face spin). I feel it is a player's wish whether to play Ranji or not. If he doesn't want to play, we have enough in India to choose from, they will play and establish themselves. No one is bigger than the game. No one is indispensable,” Vengsarkar said.
Like the MPCA chief, a state unit official proposed another step to rein in players who ignore red-ball cricket.
"This was a much-needed step and should have been taken earlier. If an India player is regularly featured in the Ranji Trophy, it acts as a massive motivator to the younger players in the squad. I would also want the BCCI to empower state units to ban those players who don't play Ranji Trophy. If a senior is dropped for once, the juniors will not dare to ignore their red ball commitments for T20 cricket," said a state unit official requesting anonymity.
(PTI inputs)