Cricket: “They have to play domestic cricket to be match-fit” - BCCI places condition on Kohli, Sharma ODI future
Sharma and Kohli likely to feature in Vijay Hazare Trophy
Amid the ongoing uncertainty about the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli participating in the 2027 ICC World Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has now laid out expectations for the star duo if they are to be considered for selection for the national team.
Sharma and Kohli both called time on their Test and T20I careers earlier this year, but they were included in the Men in Blue’s team for their recent tour of Australia and are expected to do likewise against the Proteas next month. Don’t forget to check out our India vs South Africa predictions.
However, the Board have now made clear that the star duo are not automatic selections for the national team, and reports on Wednesday suggest that they have been told that they have to play domestic cricket to remain in contention for national team selection. The report read:
“The board and team management have conveyed to both of them that they will have to play domestic cricket if they want to play for India. As they both have retired from two formats, they have to play domestic cricket to be match-fit.”
Since this report, it is understood that Sharma has informed the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) that he will make himself available for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which starts on December 24.
Kohli has yet to confirm his participation, though most sources suggest that he will do so in the coming days. Notably, the Vijay Hazare Trophy falls between India’s ODI series against South Africa between December 3-9 and their New Zealand series from January 11.
Gambhir, Agarkar support BCCI opinion on domestic cricket
Head coach of the Indian cricket team, Gautam Gambhir, and chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, are in full support of the BCCI’s decision to instruct players to participate in domestic cricket to be considered for selection for the national team.
Gambhir went on record earlier this year, saying: “It’s as simple as it can get. If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the desired players that you want.”
That came shortly after Kohli and Sharma announced their shock retirements from Test cricket, and amid calls from Gambhir for senior pros to participate in the Ranji Trophy group phase, which resumed in January.
