BCCI wants India Test specialists to play domestic cricket; Rohit, Virat and Bumrah exceptions- Report

India will play Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home.

The BCCI secretary Jay Shah had clarified that Indian team players should play in domestic cricket whenever they are free from national commitments. This led to Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer losing their spots in the Indian team and their central contracts as they ignored that rule.

However, if reports are to be believed, the BCCI has said that all Team India Test specialists need to play in domestic cricket whenever they are free. The only exceptions to the rule are captain Rohit Sharma, veteran batter Virat Kohli, and pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

As per the PTI report, the BCCI wants all the other Test specialists to play at least one, if not a couple, of Duleep Trophy games in August as a precursor to the Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

"This time there is no zonal selection committee for the Duleep Trophy. Only the national selection committee will pick Duleep teams. All Test team contenders will be picked. For Rohit, Virat, and Bumrah, it will be their choice if they want to play or not," a BCCI source told PTI.  

India is slated to tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and ODIs each in July- August and the report indicated that Hardik Pandya will captain the side in T20Is, but will skip the ODI series.

"Hardik Pandya was India's T2O vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and will lead the side. The break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. Hardik doesn't have any fitness issue as is being floated in the media," a senior BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The T20Is against Sri Lanka will run from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo.