Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will not take part in Duleep Trophy 2024-25. Team India will be playing their next series after a gap of 42 days as they will host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series, which will start on September 19. Hence, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed the Indian players to take part in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2024-25.
This tournament will get underway on September 5. Almost all the Indian players are part of the announced squads except the Indian captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli. However, earlier a few reports were saying that these two will be featuring in the Duleep Trophy 2024-25.
But they have been given rest from the tournament by the selection committee. The squads were announced on Wednesday that have all the top contenders who are in race for a place in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
“Not treat them like servants” – Jay Shah on resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Duleep Trophy 2024-25
Earlier, the BCCI said that every centrally contracted player needs to play domestic cricket to stay in the team. But resting Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma indicates a different story. That’s what the BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed in his recent interview. In an interaction on The Times of India, Shah said that the rule applies to every individual except Virat, Rohit, and Jasprit Bumrah.
They want to keep them fresh by managing their workload. He said that whoever gets injured and if he wants to comeback to the team, he needs to play domestic cricket first. Shah said, “Whoever gets injured can only come into the team after proving his fitness in domestic cricket.”
However, on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Shah said, “But it doesn’t make sense to add to Virat (Kohli) and Rohit’s (Sharma) load by asking them to play domestic cricket. They run the risk of getting injured. You also need to look at England and Australia. None of their top players play domestic cricket. We must treat our players respectfully and not treat them like servants.”
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are also back and will be featuring in the Duleep Trophy 2024-25. Shah stated the management has taken a harsh step and asked everyone to play domestic cricket, which is why Iyer and Ishan are back. Apart from these stars, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, and all other big names will be playing domestic cricket.
Also Read: Duleep Trophy 2024-25: Venues, Fixtures, Schedule and Other Details
