Course correction, stars descend on Ranji Trophy

Course correction, stars descend on Ranji Trophy

Course correction, stars descend on Ranji Trophy ByRasesh Mandani Jan 22, 2025 08:20 PM IST Share Via Copy Link It may have come a tad late, but BCCI’s tough stance has got plenty of India stars lining up to play domestic cricket

Mumbai: The stars would once take every possible opportunity to go work on their game on the domestic scene but what was once a common practice has now become a rare occurrence. But that might change starting Thursday. With future selection being linked to domestic participation, even if it is just a hint, the players are smart enough to line up.

Rohit Sharma will return to Ranji Trophy after nearly a decade, as he lines up for Mumbai’s home tie against Jammu & Kashmir. (PTI)

That explains the return of Rohit Sharma to Ranji Trophy after nearly a decade, as he lines up for Mumbai’s home tie against Jammu & Kashmir. Virat Kohli has promised Delhi that he will take field at home against Railways in the next round starting January 30. Even Rishabh Pant’s return to Ranji action for Delhi against Saurashtra in Rajkot on Thursday will be his first after his Test debut, nearly seven years ago.

Of course, the crowded international calendar has made domestic participation more difficult. Still, those who see the value in domestic cricket enhancing their craft, find time. Recently retired off-spinner R Ashwin competed in nine Ranji matches after his Test debut.

Some of the reluctance also comes from the scaled down stage. When 135 multi-day matches are fitted across ten weeks, there are plenty of non-televised matches played in no-frills settings such as the Delhi-Saurashtra match at Rajkot’s C Ground, with the main stadium gearing up for an India-England T20I.

Or the Mumbai-J&K match being played at the intimate settings of Sharad Pawar Academy, BKC over the Wankhede stadium, being prepped up for another India-England T20I. A makeshift air-conditioned commentary box is set up, a DRS chamber mounted; a few hundred plastic seats stationed for spectator viewing. But this isn’t anything like the high-octane international action elite players are conditioned to play.

However, returning to a lesser stage can sometimes be liberating. “In India we have always treated first-class cricket as a stepping stone to higher honors. Not too many of us have played for our states with the respect and sense of fulfillment the game deserves,” VVS Laxman writes in his autobiography.

Laxman gave an example of how he took to Ranji Trophy during the 1999-2000 Ranji season for Hyderabad after being dropped from the Indian squad. “I told myself that from now on I would lead the life of a normal first-class cricketer. I would take pride in contributing to Hyderabad cricket,” he wrote. Laxman went on to score 1415 runs in the season at an average of 108 that earned him an international comeback.

Rohit and Kohli are at the back end of their careers. Never has their place in Test cricket come under more scrutiny than it is currently. Some game time without the jangled nerves can do them no harm. It may be more important for the likes of Pant, and for Shubman Gill, who has a promising career ahead and is yet to realize his full potential. Gill will pad up for Punjab against Karnataka in Bengaluru on Thursday.

“For any cricketer, match preparation is very important. Game time is important before going into any international cricket. BCCI has been emphasizing on all cricketers to play domestic cricket for the past one or two years,” said Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane.

There are those who view the BCCI’s push for domestic cricket as a knee-jerk reaction to the home losses against New Zealand and the away defeats in Australia. Perhaps, that’s what it is. By not being firm with players to compete in the Duleep Trophy last year, it may already be an opportunity missed. Now, plenty of white-ball matches are lined up too.

“It’s good to have Rohit back in the Mumbai dressing room after so many years. Everyone can learn from his experience. We have played a lot together, from age-group days to India. His inputs will be important in the next four days,” said Rahane.

Only ‘inputs’ because Rahane will continue to lead. Rohit hasn’t seen the current crop of Mumbai bowlers, closely. Like left-arm spinner Karsh Kothari who beat him on a few occasions during his 25-minute net session on Wednesday. Or the tall offie Himanshu Singh, who bowled a probing line to him, until Rohit sorted him out to clear long-on.

India does not have a Test match lined up for another five months. Where Rohit will be placed then, may depend more on his form and fitness in the long white-ball season ahead; less so on this Ranji Trophy tie. But as Chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently said, India players must play ‘not just for their form and fitness’, but because ‘it can only strengthen our domestic structure’.