BCCI tightens screw on player participation in domestic cricket, exempts three star players

The BCCI is set to make it mandatory for players to play domestic cricket. Earlier this year, the board had asked Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan to play domestic cricket. It caused a huge controversy as the duo later lost their central contracts. 

While speaking to PTI, a very senior member of the BCCI said, “This time there is no zonal selection committee for the Duleep Trophy. Only the national selection committee will pick Duleep teams. All Test team contenders will be picked. For Rohit, Virat and Bumrah, it will be their choice if they want to play or not.” 

Duleep Trophy is set to begin in August and this will be followed by the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Rohit Sharma and his side host Bangladesh for two matches while the Kiwis will play three Tests. This will be followed by a massive tour of Australia towards the end of the year. 

Chance for forgotten stars to stake claim 

The start of the Indian domestic season will be a boon for the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Mayank Agarwal. Even some batters like Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikal, and veteran pacers Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur would fancy their chances. 

Cheteshwar Pujara has a good record in Australia and last played for Sussex. The right-handed batter from Saurashtra had a decent season where he played 6 matches and scored 501 runs from 6 matches and 9 innings with an average of 71 and hit 2 centuries and one fifty. 

Ajinkya Rahane on the other hand had a dismal season with the bat for Mumbai which saw his side win the Ranji Trophy. The 36-year-old was the captain of the Indian team last time they toured Australia and helped India win the series with a 2-1 margin. 

Young players like Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal will want to show the selectors their form with the bat. Sarfaraz Khan in particular impressed everyone with his daredevil batting against England. Devdutt Padikkal too scored a fifty on his debut and showed good composure with the bat. 

Fast bowlers Akash Deep and Umesh Yadav too will want to prove a point while there is no clarity over Mohammad Shami. The veteran pacer hasn’t played for India since the end of the ODI World Cup and has started light training.