‘When there’s a longish gap…’ - Sunil Gavaskar opposes Jay Shah's views on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli not participating in Duleep Trophy

Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the absence of star cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Duleep Trophy that begins on September 5. Ahead of the squad announcement, there were reports that several international superstars, including the current and former captain, would be in attendance. 

However, when selectors recently revealed the four squads, the names of top players like Kohli, Rohit, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were left off the list.

Also Read: 'Rishabh Pant is not a captain' - Former India player questions selectors on team combinations for Duleep Trophy 2024

Elite pacer Bumrah is known to have given extended rest given his workload management and history of back problems. His partner in crime Shami is continuing to recover from an ankle injury. Meanwhile, injury-prone Pandya has not played first-class cricket since December 2008. 

While there is no clarity on the exclusion of Kohli and Rohit from the tournament that kicks off India's domestic season, BCCI secretary Jay Shah earlier said that picking the star duo doesn’t make any sense. The management does not want them to pick up injuries while playing domestic cricket given India's upcoming Test assignments including the crucial Border Gavaskar series against Australia.

“It doesn’t make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s load by asking them to play domestic cricket. They run the risk of getting injured,” Shah had told The Times of India.

Also Read: Duleep Trophy 2024: 5 unlucky players who missed out on selection

Rohit and Kohli will go into the Bangladesh series without much match practice: Gavaskar 

Meanwhile, Gavaskar countered Shah's views as Rohit and Kohli will go into the Bangladesh series without any practice. He highlighted the importance of regular competition for players in their mid-thirties to maintain high standards.

“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,” the 75-year-old wrote in his column for the mid-day.

“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. 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,” he added.