Sachin Tendulkar mentioned that participating in the Ranji Trophy helps national players get back to the fundamentals of the game and boosts the quality of the domestic tournament. The BCCI now requires centrally contracted players to participate in domestic red-ball cricket when they are not representing the national team or at the NCA.
The BCCI left out Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from their central contract list because they missed playing for their state teams in the Ranji Trophy matches.
Sachin Tendulkar Made A Bold Ranji Trophy Remark Amid BCCI Contract Saga
Sachin Tendulkar took to his social media and shared a long note, explaining his perspective on the importance of national players participating in domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy. He emphasized how it improves the tournament quality and provides a platform for established players to connect with the basics. He wrote:
“The Ranji Trophy semi-finals have been riveting! @MumbaiCricAssoc’s march into the finals was aided by a brilliant batting recovery, while the other semi-final hangs in the balance going into the last day – Madhya Pradesh need 90+ runs to win, Vidarbha need 4 wickets.
Throughout my career, I remained passionate about playing for Mumbai whenever I had the opportunity. Growing up, we had almost 7-8 India players in our dressing room, and it was fun to play alongside them.”
He added: “When India players turn up for their domestic teams, it raises the quality of play for youngsters and sometimes new talent is identified. It also gives the national players a chance to sometimes rediscover the basics. “
“With top notch players participating in domestic tournaments, over a period of time, fans will also start following and supporting their domestic teams much more. Wonderful to see @BCCI give equal priority to domestic cricket.”
Check out his Tweet:
The Ranji Trophy semi-finals have been riveting! @MumbaiCricAssoc’s march into the finals was aided by a brilliant batting recovery, while the other semi-final hangs in the balance going into the last day – Madhya Pradesh need 90+ runs to win, Vidarbha need 4 wickets.…
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 5, 2024
It has to be noted that Ishan Kishan didn’t join Jharkhand for the Ranji Trophy despite not being with the national team since December due to personal reasons after returning from the South Africa tour. Instead, he prioritized preparing for the IPL with his team, the Mumbai Indians.
On the flip side, Shreyas Iyer opted out of playing for Mumbai in the Ranji quarterfinal against Baroda after being dropped from the Indian team following the second Test against England. However, he did play in Mumbai’s Ranji semifinal against Tamil Nadu.
