Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar has agreed with captain Rohit Sharma’s comment that players who have the zeal and hunger to play red-ball cricket will only get chances in the Indian team going forward.
After India defeated England by four wickets in the fourth Test, owing to outstanding performances by newcomers Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Akash Deep, Rohit stated that only those who demonstrate a desire and hunger to play the longest format will be considered for selection in the future.
Recently, two centrally contracted players- Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer- had chosen to give Ranji Trophy a miss despite clear instructions by BCCI secretary Jay Shah and Indian team management. Instead, they have decided to rest and prepare themselves for the upcoming IPL 2024.
Hardik Pandya was also on the list but it is still unclear whether the NCA has cleared him to play the longest format after a big injury layoff.
“Test cricket is the toughest format. And if you want success and want to excel in this tough format then you need that hunger. It is very important. We will give opportunity only to players who have that hunger. Jinko bhookh nahi hai, unko dekh ke hi pata chal jata hai (You come to know easily the players who don't have that hunger, or players who don't want to stay here and play this format. We come to know that," Rohit said during the post-match press conference.
Gavaskar stated that Rohit was correct in his evaluation. The renowned player stated that the money, fame, and reputation that cricketers receive are all due to Indian cricket, and they should be loyal to it.
"He's absolutely right. The ones who want to play Test cricket, you look at them. I've been saying this for years. The players are what they are because of Indian cricket. The stage of life and career they are at, is all because of Indian cricket. The money, fame, and recognition that they have got is because of Indian cricket. So you've got to show some loyalty towards Indian cricket.
And if you don't show that for whatever reasons and say 'I won't play, won't play that' Rohit is absolutely right in saying the ones who have the hunger, the ones who are willing to put the effort, will be given more opportunities going ahead. If this is the attitude of the selectors then it will be good for Indian cricket. We've seen many players pick and choose, this shouldn't happen," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
Gavaskar said the ones skipping the Ranji Trophy may have decided never to play Test cricket for India.
"Maybe they have decided not to play Test cricket for India. They don't have the ability, they don't have the hunger like Rohit said. So which form of domestic cricket they didn't play? The Ranji Trophy. It is the longer format with red balls. So you can't do anything,” he added.
The former India captain had a suggestion for the BCCI to reschedule the Ranji Trophy to avoid a clash with Test cricket or the IPL. This might give much-needed match practice to the ones serious about Test cricket as India's bilaterals generally take place between December and March.
"I would request BCCI to start the Ranji season in October and finish it in December. Then you hold the white-ball tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. This will also give practice to the players playing in the IPL. From December to February India plays Test matches either at home or abroad so if the Ranji Trophy is hosted before that then the young players will also be ready," he added.
(Sports Tak inputs)
