Ever since India’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2022 earlier this month, there has been a debate over whether Indian players should play in overseas leagues. Several experts and former cricketers including Wasim Akram, Anil Kumble, Stephen Fleming, and Tom Moody suggested that the Indian side should prioritize it.
However, India’s head coach Rahul Dravid, who was asked about the same after the semi-final defeat against England, refused the idea as he feels that the process could dampen the Indian domestic circuit. Dravid had explained that with India having their domestic season right about the same time when these overseas leagues start, it’s difficult for our players to participate in those leagues.
This isn’t the first time that this topic has been discussed. The talk about the need for Indian players in overseas leagues has long been debated. However, the debate was reignited after England defeated India by 10 wickets, making the most of their BBL experience.
Well, Dravid’s statements were criticized by many but senior cricketer Ravi Ashwin, who was also a part of the World Cup squad, appreciated the reply of Rahul Dravid and lashed out at the debate on this topic.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravi Ashwin lashed out at the timing of the question and also hailed Dravid’s reply before acknowledging it to be “an interesting and debatable topic”. He said:
“They asked Rahul bhai in in the press conference as soon as our game was over. You can’t ask these questions as a reaction to losing game. It’s a very unfair question to the coach of a cricket team. So what do you expect him to reply to that question? In fact he gave a very good reply to that question. He asked, “If you want Indian player to go and players these leagues what will happen to our first-class system?” We should understand that the Indian first-class system will behind from August end or by September end. It will be March when the Ranji trophy final gets over and we will have the IPL as soon as Ranji Trophy gets over.”
He added: “So if we don’t play our first-class cricket, our sample size of players will come down. He felt it that way and replied beautifully. It is an interesting and debatable topic. In fact, many players from other countries have come to India and returned as better players,”
