On Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli taking part in the Ranji Trophy, India Great has given a big moral verdict

Former cricketer Madan Lal on Tuesday said he is “very happy” to see Indian men’s cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli taking part in the second edition of the Ranji Trophy. Team India captain Rohit Sharma will take part in the upcoming second edition of the Ranji Trophy in Mumbai. According to Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) sources, Kohli has also confirmed his availability for Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Railoos. Virat’s last Ranji Trophy appearance dates back to November 2012 against Uttar Pradesh, in which he was dismissed for 14 and 42 runs in both innings by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Speaking to ANI, Madan Lal said that the presence of senior players like Rohit and Virat in first-class cricket will help other cricketers grow.

“I am so happy that all these players (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) will play first class. You need to play matches in the tournament that made you a player. You should play home matches whenever you have the opportunity. because young players can learn from you. Maybe someday in the future these players will become great players…,” Madan Lal told ANI.

He added that if Kohli and Rishabh Pant play for Delhi, it will help them reach the playoffs of first-class cricket.

“The morale of the team also goes up a lot when players like Kohli and Rohit are playing. If a team is struggling to qualify like Delhi. If Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant play, then they have a chance to win. So that was very important. step… this rule existed before, but it was circumvented. We have never shied away from first-class matches,” he added.

Rohit’s return to first-class cricket coincides with growing discussions about his future in Test cricket. At 37, he remains determined to continue playing in the longest format despite withdrawing from the Indian squad for the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney earlier this month.

Rohit’s recent performances in red-ball cricket have raised questions. During the tour of Australia, he managed only 31 runs in five innings in three Tests. This followed a poor spell at home in the 2023–24 season, where he averaged just 13.30 per ten innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Under his leadership, India lost 3-0 to New Zealand – their first match at home in a series of three or more matches.

Things started to change after India thrashed Australia 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a much tougher stance on the participation of Indian international stars in domestic cricket.

Earlier on Thursday, the BCCI released a new policy for Team India, making participation in domestic matches “mandatory” to remain “eligible” for selection into the national team and central contracts.

In its policy, the BCCI has stated that participation in domestic cricket will remain linked to the cricket ecosystem. The statement added that any exclusions from participation in domestic cricket would only be considered in extraordinary circumstances.