Batting great Sunil Gavaskar believes veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should have played in the upcoming Duleep Trophy as it would have given them much-needed match practice ahead of the Bangladesh Test series next month.
The selectors decided to rest the senior duo along with pacer Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the Duleep Trophy, starting in Bengaluru on September 5.
“The selectors have not picked the skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the Duleep Trophy so they will most likely go into the Bangladesh Test series without much match practice. While it’s understandable that somebody like Jasprit Bumrah with his delicate back needs to be handled with care, the batters could have done with some batting time out in the middle,” Gavaskar said in his column for mid-day.
Gavaskar believes if there is a long gap between matches of the same format then players in their mid 30s will not find it easy to rediscover their best form.
Rohit and Kohli haven’t played any red ball game in the last few months. While Rohit’s last Test match was against England in Dharmshala in March, Kohli, who missed the England series, last featured in a Test against South Africa in January.
“Once a player hits the mid-thirties in any sport, then regular competition will help him maintain the high standards he has set. When there’s a longish gap then the muscle memory weakens somewhat and to get back to the high standards from earlier is not easy,” Gavaskar added.
India will play a high-profile five-match Test series against Australia later this year.
However, Gavaskar is not happy with BCCI’s decision to reduce India’s warm-up match against Australian Prime Minister’s XI ahead of the Test series to a two-day affair.
“The news that the regular match for touring teams against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI has been reduced to a 2-day game is a disappointing one. By all means, rest the seniors and let them not even travel to Canberra for the game but give the newer younger players a proper first-class game rather than a 2-day game which will be neither here nor there. After all, the team are going there to play cricket and not to take rest,” stated Gavaskar.
“The Australians are thirsting for revenge and the Indians will have to be razor sharp to get a hat-trick of series wins there. There’s still time to change it to a 3-day game and give the younger inexperienced players a better chance to succeed against the World Test Champions. C’mon BCCI, you can do it.”
