(IPL Credit)
Rohit Sharma, captain of both the ODI and Test teams, emphasized that domestic cricket tournaments like the Ranji Trophy remain vital for national team selections. He pointed out that the rise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has not lessened the importance of domestic competitions.
Amid ongoing debates about the IPL’s impact on Indian cricket, which has seen the emergence of key players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, some domestic cricketers have voiced concerns about the lack of recognition for consistent performers.
Domestic Cricket Is The Backbone Of Our International Cricket – Rohit Sharma
During the post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma emphasized that domestic tournaments such as the Ranji Trophy are essential for nurturing young talent for the Indian team. He noted that international player selection relies more heavily on domestic performances than on the IPL.
“That’s always been our goal – to make sure that guys who are available go and play Ranji Trophy. Our domestic cricket is the backbone of our international cricket. A lot of the guys who are now representing the country have come up playing domestic cricket, so our domestic cricket is crucial for everyone. We want to make sure that it stays competitive,” Rohit said.
“We get players from our domestic circuit, not so much from IPL. When you choose players for Test and ODI cricket, a lot of discussion happens on who is doing well in Ranji Trophy, one-day format, Syed Mushtaq Ali and stuff like that,” the Indian captain added.
India lost the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka 2-0, culminating in a 110-run defeat in a crucial match in Colombo on August 7. Throughout the series, Indian batters struggled against Sri Lankan spinners, with the visiting team’s batting lineup collapsing in each of the three games.
This series marked Gautam Gambhir’s debut as India’s head coach in ODIs. The campaign got off to a rocky start, with the first game ending in a tie and the Men in Blue losing the second match by 32 runs. Notably, this series loss was India’s first bilateral ODI defeat to Sri Lanka since 1997.
IPL Is Also Our Cricket – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma noted that performances in the Indian Premier League are also taken into account, alongside domestic tournament results, when selecting players for the national team.
“IPL is, of course, one format where the challenges are different. It’s a competition of both. IPL is also our cricket – it’s Indian Premier League. At the end of the day, whoever does well in all of these tournaments eventually will get picked up,” Rohit further added.
Rohit Sharma will next be in action during the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which begins at home on September 19. This series is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. The team aims to secure a series win to enhance their prospects of making it to the WTC final next year.
