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Kohli, Rohit And Other Senior Players Denied Selectors' Request To Play Duleep Trophy: Report

Rajgeeta Yadav

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli [Source: PTI]Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli [Source: PTI]

Team India has come under scrutiny following their recently concluded series loss against New Zealand in a three-match Test series. It was a dark day for Indian cricket, as the Kiwis defeated India by 25 runs in the final Test at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

The Indian side failed to bounce back in the third Test, despite playing at home. The match saw India’s huge batting collapse, with senior players departing for low scores. They faced challenges against the Kiwi spinners as Virat Kohli managed to score only 5 runs in the match, while Rohit Sharma scored 29 runs in both innings.

Their poor form throughout the series raised eyebrows and questions about their dip in form and their inability to contribute meaningfully. Fans and cricket legends criticized the senior players for lacking practice, as India last played a red-ball match against England in March. Since then, they only competed against Bangladesh and did not participate in domestic cricket.

This led to the feeling that players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin missed an opportunity by not playing in the Duleep Trophy 2024, which could have served as an ideal preparatory tournament ahead of the packed Test season.

Senior Players Rejected Selectors'  Request For Duleep Trophy Participation

According to a report by Indian Express, selectors wanted all Indian stars to play at least one match in the Duleep Trophy 2024 to have some match practice. However, senior players refused this request, stating 'a lack of motivation'.

“The selection committee planned for all top players to be available for the Duleep Trophy in order to provide them some match practice before the red-ball season. Rohit and Kohli, along with other key players, gave their consent initially. However, some of the top players later decided to withdraw their names and went into the two Tests against Bangladesh (in September) and the three against New Zealand without much recent red-ball cricket under their belt." 

“When Sharma, Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah didn’t participate in the Duleep Trophy, the selection committee decided to release Ravindra Jadeja, who had agreed to play in the domestic tournament," the report added.

India Need Four Wins Against Australia To Keep WTC Hopes Alive

India will now head into the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Australia, starting on October 22 in Perth. India need to win four matches in this five-match Test series and secure one draw to order to remain in contention for the WTC 2025 final.