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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is cracking the whip after several questions emerged on “star culture” in the Indian cricket. Just to prioritse equal treatment and emphasise on “discipline and unity”, BCCI on Thursday, January 16 unveiled a 10-point policy, making domestic cricket mandatory for all members of the team.
This move comes after several spoke of the senior members of the team to feature in domestic cricket tournaments. It is to be noted that the importance to play domestic cricket tournaments came after Virat Kohli managed only 190 runs across the five Tests, averaging 23.75, whereas Rohit Sharma could only score 31 runs across three Tests at an average of 6.20.
Kohli needs to play a lot of red-ball cricket: Sanjay Manjrekar
Although the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) named Virat Kohli in the probables for the Ranji trophy 2024-25 sixth round clash, the 36-year-old is yet to confirm his availability. Seeing this, former India cricketer turned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar opined that if he doesn’t play domestic cricket, he should play the County Championships, citing example of Cheteshwar Pujara.
"Kohli needs to play a lot of red-ball cricket. The first Test in England is in June, while the County Championship begins in April. He could join a county team, like Pujara did, and gain valuable match practice," Manjrekar said in the latest episode of Star Sports' Deep Point podcast. "India can then evaluate his performances in the initial Test matches. If there are positive signs, he can continue. But the last thing you want is Kohli going there and struggling, as we've seen before. That wouldn't be good for Indian cricket. Playing county cricket could be a very sensible move for him," he added.
However, it is to be seen if Virat Kohli will feature in County Championship matches as the schedule clashes with the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 2025, the IPL is likely to begin from March 21 in Kolkata, with the final set to be played on May 25.