Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra is visibly unimpressed by the approach taken by the Indian players following a disastrous Border Gavaskar Trophy tour which ended in a 3-1 defeat for the visitors. The humiliating series loss made the BCCI issue a new directive that would require the players to participate in domestic cricket if they are not playing in international fixtures for India.
While most players who underperformed in that tour took part in the ongoing Ranji season, their glimpses in the domestic arena have only been restricted to just a solitary FC fixture so far. The likes of Rohit, Jaiswal, Gill, Pant, and Jadeja were seen in action in the earlier Ranji round but skipped the current one whereas Virat Kohli missed the previous round and is now in action against the Railways in the ongoing Ranji round.
Indian players are virtually marking their attendance claims Aakash Chopra
The way the Indian players have gone about their approach in the ongoing Ranji season has not impressed Aakash one bit. For him, it felt as though the players were more keen on marking their attendance in domestic cricket rather than focusing on the core basics of their game. Their reluctance to actively feature in first-class cricket made Aakash wonder whether the current crop of Indian players is on a punishment posting
“He is playing but the others aren't. Ultimately, everyone has done the token job. Virat had not played, so he is playing this match. Everyone else has marked their attendance. It's looking like a punishment posting. However, first-class cricket is not a punishment."
The 47-year-old further stressed the significance of first-class cricket and added that the addition of international players in such games elevates the learning scope of the budding cricketers. While at the same time, it also offers someone like Rohit and Virat to regain their lost form.
After a staggering 4440 days, Kohli makes a much-anticipated return to domestic cricket. The crowd had turned up in colossal numbers to get a glimpse of the living legend at the Arun Jaitley Stadium today. With Delhi opting to bowl first, the 15,000 odd fans at the stadium still have to wait a bit longer to see the 37-year-old batting maestro in action.
