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Before the squads for the upcoming Duleep Trophy were announced—a red-ball tournament marking the start of India’s domestic season—there was anticipation that it might showcase a lineup of top international stars.
However, while the selectors have named the four squads, notable players such as Test captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya are notably absent.
Bumrah is on extended rest due to his recurring back issues, while Shami is still recovering from an ankle injury. Meanwhile, Pandya has not played first-class cricket since December 2018, focusing on his white-ball career due to his own injury concerns.
According to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, including these players in the Duleep Trophy would be impractical, as they want to avoid potential injuries before crucial upcoming Test series, including the five-match tour of Australia.
“It doesn’t make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s load by asking them to play domestic cricket. They run the risk of getting injured,” Shah had told The Times of India.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar disagrees, suggesting that with Rohit and Kohli no longer in their prime, maintaining top form is increasingly challenging. Gavaskar believes that both players could have gained valuable game time by participating in the Duleep Trophy, which begins on September 5.
“The selectors have not picked the skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the Duleep Trophy so they will most likely go into the Bangladesh Test series without much match practice,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for the mid-day.
“While it’s understandable that somebody like Jasprit Bumrah with his delicate back needs to be handled with care, the batters could have done with some batting time out in the middle. Once a player hits the mid-thirties in any sport, then regular competition will help him maintain the high standards he has set. When there’s a longish gap then the muscle memory weakens somewhat and to get back to the high standards from earlier is not easy,” he added.
Rohit last featured in a Test match in March, while Kohli’s last was in January. Despite their frequent appearances in white-ball cricket and recent retirements from T20Is, both players are set to return to Test action with the Bangladesh series next month.
