Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), mentioned on Thursday that it’s not necessary to push star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play in the Duleep Trophy. He worries that having them play more could increase the risk of them getting hurt. The Duleep Trophy is a big cricket event in India that starts the season for red-ball cricket, where top Indian players and new talents compete at a high level. This year’s tournament will start on September 5, 2024, in two places: Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, and the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Even though the BCCI wants top Indian players to play more in domestic cricket, Shah believes it’s better not to insist that Rohit and Virat play in this tournament to lower the risk of injury. He also pointed out that in countries like Australia and England, not every international player participates in domestic cricket.
During a conversation with the media in Mumbai, as reported by Wisden, Shah mentioned, “We shouldn’t force players like Rohit and Virat to participate in the Duleep Trophy. They could get hurt. If you’ve seen, in countries like Australia and England, not every international player competes in domestic cricket. We need to treat our players with respect.”
It’s important to note that India’s main players in red-ball cricket, including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah, won’t be playing in this competition.
Rohit last played in the tournament in 2016, and Virat’s last appearance was in 2010, before he played in an international Test match for India.
He mentioned that other well-known players will also be participating in local cricket in the near future, including Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, who lost their contracts with the BCCI because they were reportedly not playing enough local first-class cricket.
“Besides them, all the other players are taking part. We should be thankful for that. It’s important to remember that Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer are playing in the Buchi Babu tournament,” Shah further explained..
The Buchi Babu tournament, beginning on Thursday, will include players like Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav playing for their respective state teams.
Prominent Indian batsmen such as Rishabh Pant, Kishan, Shubman Gill, and several others are scheduled to participate in the Duleep Trophy 2024-25 season.
Significantly, fast bowler Prasidh Krishna is returning to the field after a long absence due to injuries. Since 2019, Krishna’s career has been affected by various injuries, including a stress fracture in his left leg in 2019, a back stress fracture in 2022, and a quadriceps injury in 2024.
Young batter Tilak Varma, who sustained a wrist injury near the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, has also been selected for the tournament.
Young player Musheer Khan, who played for India in the Under-19 World Cup, has been recognized for his steady performance. The 19-year-old player, who can both bat and bowl, had a great season after helping Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy earlier this year. Musheer aims to stand out now that he’s part of the Duleep Trophy.
Another young all-rounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy, has also been selected for the first round of the tournament, but whether he can play depends on his health.
The cricketers chosen to play for India in the upcoming Test matches against Bangladesh at home will be substituted in the Duleep Trophy. India’s Test series against Bangladesh begins on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
