DHARAMSHALA: In what is his first interaction since the central contracts were announced and the emphasis on playing domestic cricket was made official by the BCCI in a press release, India captain Rohit Sharma doubled down on the subject, saying that it is important for the health of Indian cricket.
Speaking on the eve of the fifth Test in Dharamsala, Rohit said that topic of emphasising players to take part in domestic cricket has been in discussion for a long time.
“When the players are available, they've got to make themselves available to play domestic cricket, unless they have been given a certificate from the medical group that they want to be rested or will not be taking part in domestic cricket, but if you're available, if you're fit, if you're fine, I think it is important that we go and play that,” he said.
The 36-year-old added that the directive from BCCI was for everyone and not just a select group of players. “It is not for just few cricketers, it is for everyone to make sure that whenever you're available, and fine, you should be able to play domestic cricket. And I think it is important,” said Rohit.
The Indian captain also spoke about keeping track of what was happening in the Ranji Trophy semifinals between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. The Mumbai team featured Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped from the central contract despite playing enough number of matches to automatically qualify for Grade C. In the one innings he battered, Iyer scored three runs from eight balls. Shardul Thakur played an all-round role to help Mumbai beat TN and enter the final. In the other match, Vidarbha overcame Madhya Pradesh to set up the summit clash.
Rohit said that the quality at display when players take part and how they fare are there to see.
“You saw the Ranji trophy that happened this week. I watched Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, obviously there was a very interesting game happening today as well, I think Vidarbha won. When games like that happens, you see the quality and everything come into display for everyone to watch. I think it is important that we give importance to domestic cricket, it is the core of Indian cricket,” he said.