Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra slams senior Indian players for taking Ranji Trophy matches lightly, marking their attendance and leaving. The Indian star player Virat Kohli is back in the Ranji Trophy after almost 12 years, missing the match against Saurashtra due to a neck injury. His return in the domestic cricket marked a lot of attendance in the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the clash against Railways. KL Rahul is also back after he missed the last round of the game, playing for Karnataka.
According to the recent guidelines set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), senior players should play domestic cricket whenever they can. Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Shubman Gill all played in the first round after the tragic loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but missed the next matches.
In a recent video shared by Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel, he said that every player has marked their attendance and left; it shows that playing domestic cricket was like a punishment for them. He said that playing first-class cricket is like a privilege, and it is a chance for the players to find their form back.
"Virat had not played (in the first match of the current round of the Ranji Trophy), so he is playing this match. Everyone else has marked their attendance. What does it tell you? Well, what it tells me is that it is looking like a punishment posting. But first-class cricket is not a punishment. The fact is that it is a privilege for others that they are getting to play with you, and it is a chance for you to find form."
Among all the international players, Ravindra Jadeja is the only player who is playing both the matches for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy. Kohli and Rahul both missed their first round of matches but now have joined their respective teams, while other players are missing the ongoing match.