Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Should Have Played Duleep Trophy: Sunil Gavaskar

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has said that star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not playing the Duleep Trophy is not ideal. He feels the lack of red-ball game time for the duo, who are in their mid-thirties, might weaken their “muscle memory” and affect their performance in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. (More Cricket News)

“The selectors have not picked the skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the Duleep Trophy so they will most likely go into the Bangladesh Test series without much match practice. Once a player hits the mid-thirties in any sport, then regular competition will help him maintain the high standards he has set,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid Day.

India will take on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series in September, as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Rohit last played a red-ball match in the final Test against England in Dharmsala, earlier this year.

As for Kohli, he last appeared in the longest format for India in the New Year Test at Cape Town in South Africa. “When there’s a longish gap then the muscle memory weakens somewhat and to get back to the high standards from earlier is not easy,” Gavaskar added in his column.

The former India opener further said that it is understandable that speedster Jasprit Bumrah needs a break, but the batters need time in the middle. “While it’s understandable that somebody like Jasprit Bumrah with his delicate back needs to be handled with care, the batters could have done with some batting time out in the middle.

India are scheduled to play two Tests against Bangladesh, with the first match starting on September 19 in Chennai and the second on September 27 in Kanpur. "The athletes who will be selected to represent India for the home Test series against Bangladesh will be replaced in the Duleep Trophy," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a release.