Mumbai: India captain Rohit Sharma has emphasized the significance of local cricket competitions such as the Ranji Trophy in the national Test squad selection process, providing a forceful reminder of the game’s worth.
After India’s most recent 2-0 ODI series loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo, Rohit emphasised that traditional local tournaments are still vital for developing talent, even with the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
While the IPL is an important platform, captain Rohit Sharma admitted that the importance of India’s domestic cricket system has not been eclipsed by its popularity.
“Ensuring that players who are available compete in the Ranji Trophy has always been our focus. The foundation of international cricket is domestic cricket. It is vital for everyone because domestic cricket is the pathway via which many of the players who are now representing the nation came up. Our goal is to maintain competition,” he said.
India struggled mightily against spin in all three of their games against Sri Lanka, which resulted in batting collapses. Rohit addressed this problem and emphasized the value of home competitions in preparing players for international difficulties at the post-match press conference.
“When selecting players for Test and ODI cricket, much of the discussion revolves around who is performing well in the Ranji Trophy, the one-day format and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy,” he said.
Even while the Indian Premier League (IPL) has clearly helped a number of cricket players become famous, there is disagreement regarding how the league will affect Indian sport. But Rohit made it clear that domestic competitions and the IPL both have important responsibilities.
“The IPL has its own stature and presents different challenges, but it is all part of Indian cricket, and players excelling in any of these tournaments will eventually be recognized,” he said.
In the series, Rohit also spoke about how badly India had batted, especially against the spinners from Sri Lanka. He didn’t think playing on songs in transition was a good enough justification for their shortcomings.
“Slow pitches shouldn’t be used as an excuse to play spin. On these kinds of surfaces, we all play. It all boils down to having a strategy and carrying it out well “explained Sharma.
With 157 runs at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 141.4 in the three-match ODI series, Rohit continued to be the series’ top scorer. In the series, no other hitter on either team scored 100 runs.
