CHENNAI : Former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath backed the BCCI move to make it mandatory for all players who are not representing India to play domestic cricket. While announcing the new contracts, the national cricket body had insisted that players who are not on national duty must give precedence to participating in domestic tournaments.
In the city to inaugurate and unveil the trophy of JITO Premier League cricket tournament, Amarnath insisted that players should not forget their roots. "Yeah, I think it's (mandatory to play domestic cricket) a good thing. It should have happened a long time back, to be very honest. And I think it should apply to each and every cricketer today, not only to certain cricketers," he said.
"Everybody should play domestic cricket, whatever they are today, they should thank their state, their club, from where they started, they should not forget that. Because I think it's very important for Indian cricket, for all its cricketers to participate, to keep the standard up all the time. And it will be good for everybody; for youngsters to play against them (seniors) and... they (seniors) could share their experiences with youngsters," added the 1983 World Cup hero.
Some former players felt Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were treated harshly and should have been given a warning before being dropped from the central contract. "I don't think there's any need for any warning to anybody. You take a decision and apply it to everybody. That's it," opined Amarnath.
'Not surprised by what Ashwin has achieved'
On Thursday, R Ashwin will be playing his 100th Test against England. He also crossed the 500-wicket mark recently. Amarnath is not surprised by the off spinner's successful journey so far. "Ashwin is a fantastic cricketer, actually. I remember when I watched him for the first time, I was a consultant with Bengal Cricket. We were playing against Tamil Nadu at Bangalore, I remember. It was the first time I watched him and he showed his class straight away. So, I am not surprised at what he has achieved. I think there is plenty more to achieve,'' Amarnath remarked.
S Venkataraghavan's (former elite spinner) 57 Tests was a benchmark for any spinner from Tamil Nadu. At one point, no one expected anybody to break Venkat's record. Amarnath is not someone who is a fan of drawing comparisons.
''No, you don't compare anybody. They all have their own way of playing cricket and bowling. Earlier, there were not too many Test matches available. I think that's the reason, probably cricketers (past) didn't achieve that (play many Tests like the current lot). But they were all fantastic, great spinners. When you talk about Indian spin, I think we have always produced great spinners,'' said Amarnath. "I'm very pleased for Ashwin, what he has achieved. And I'm sure that in future also, he will continue his performance. Not only at home, but he is a very fine bowler overseas as well. I'm surprised at the number of times he has not been included (overseas) in the team. But these things happen in cricket," he added.
Once again, India won a series without Virat Kohli against England. In 2021, India had beaten Australia in Australia when many players were injured and Kohli was not available after the First Test. India had shown then that they are not dependent on one or two players. "It is good to see these youngsters performing and doing well. When you talk about world cricket, probably we are one of the superpowers in the game at the moment. What I would like to see is that this performance continues overseas as well," said the 73-year old.
"All teams have home advantage. But it becomes a little bit testing when you go abroad. But I'm very pleased with the way they are playing and the way they are managing. See, in India, we have so many players. And when an established player is not around, when he retires, somebody takes his place. It has been happening. It is not the first time. And Virat Kohli is a world class player. No doubt about it, actually. Of course, when he (Virat) is around, things look even much rosier for Indian cricket. And I'm sure he will come back and he will perform like anybody else," Amarnath signed off.