The Indian cricket team’s senior players, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, continue to face criticism following their 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand. Experts suggest that the duo could have benefited from playing in the Duleep Trophy or even the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Mohammad Kaif, a former cricketer, also supports this view, urging the players to leave behind their luxurious lifestyles and return to domestic cricket to regain form.
Kaif believes that featuring in the Ranji Trophy could provide much-needed match time and confidence. “Absolutely. They need form, and they need to bat hours there. If they end up scoring a hundred, then it will benefit them immensely and serve as a morale booster,” Kaif said in a social media video.
He drew a parallel with Rishabh Pant’s success during the 2020 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Pant, after scoring a century in a practice match, was included in the Test team and played a crucial role in India’s historic victory in Gabba. “Let me remind you of Rishabh Pant here. He ended up scoring the winning run in Gabba, but he was neither part of the ODI nor the T20I squad in that tour. He only went for the Test series, where Wriddhiman Saha played ahead of him. But India incurred that ’36 all out’ and we lost the match, Pant was included. But remember, Pant had played a practice match in that tour, in a Pink Ball match supposedly, and scored a century, after which he was included in the XI so he emerged as a whole different player then,” Kaif explained.
Kaif has urged players like Kohli and Sharma to prioritize domestic cricket over their VIP treatment. “So whoever thinks that they are struggling to score runs and did not get enough game time, they should 100 per cent play in domestic cricket. Forget that you travel in big cars and flights and that you may not get VIP treatment there. If you want to find form, you need to put in that effort,” he stated.
