The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently cracked a whip on the Indian players releasing a 10-point guideline document to promote discipline, unity and a positive environment in the team. One of the major points from the document was the board making it mandatory for all the players to feature in domestic cricket. The move came after India's recent losses at home against New Zealand and away against Australia in the Test series.
In both series, India's batting was under the scanner with even the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma not scoring runs as per expectations. After the Australia tour, a review meeting involving head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia took place where it was decided to make playing in domestic cricket mandatory if the players are fit.
It has also been made clear to the players in the guideline document that they would need prior approval from the chairman of selectors to miss domestic cricket matches. "Participation in domestic matches is mandatory for players to remain eligible for selection in the national team and for central contracts, as per BCCI guidelines. This policy ensures that players remain connected to the domestic cricket ecosystem, fostering talent development, maintaining match fitness, and strengthening the overall domestic structure. It also inspires emerging players by providing them opportunities to compete alongside top cricketers, ensuring continuity in talent progression," the directive from the BCCI read.
Even though Rohit Sharma denied of getting any such directive from the BCCI officially in the press conference recently, all the Indian players featuring in the second phase of Ranji Trophy matches prove that the board has directed the players to do so. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are set to play for Mumbai in their upcoming clash against J&K while Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill will turn up for Saurashtra and Punjab respectively. KL Rahul is injured at the moment while Virat Kohli is set to play for Delhi against Railways on January 30.
We asked out India TV readers whether the decision from the BCCI to mandate playing domestic cricket is correct. In an overwhelming response, out of 2835 votes, 2687 people voted in favour of the BCCI's decision while only 120 of them disagreed with the board.
Is it the right decision from BCCI to make it mandatory for players to play domestic cricket?
Yes: 95%
No: 4%
Can't Say: 1%
Total Votes: 2835