Manjrekar Questions Absence Of Top Indian Cricketers From Duleep Trophy

Calls for Kohli, Rohit, and Bumrah to utilize domestic matches for test preparation

Sanjay Manjrekar advices senior Indian players to use the Duleep Trophy for match practice ahead of the Bangladesh Test series /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Recent comments by former Indian cricket player and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar about the absence of important Indian players likeVirat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah from the forthcoming Duleep Trophy. Manjrekar claimed that these players who have had notable rest periods should take part in the home event to refine their abilities before to Bangladesh's Test series.

Manjrekar tweeted a stunning statistic: “India has played 249 international matches in the past five years, yet Rohit Sharma has participated in only 59% of those, Virat Kohli in 61%, and Jasprit Bumrah in just 34%. ” he thinks that Kohli and Rohit have had enough recovery and would gain much from the extra match practice the Duleep Trophy offers.
Set to begin on September 5, 2024, the Duleep Trophy will take place at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium and Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. While talents like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill are scheduled to compete, the absence of Kohli, Rohit, and Bumrah has raised concernsabout India's preparedness for the Bangladesh series.

Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar supported Manjrekar's point of view by implying that Kohli and Rohit may keep their form and remain psychologically agile with the Duleep Trophy. Although Bumrah could need rest because of his recent injuries, the veteran batters should consider the competition as a chance to improve their red-ball skills.

The squads for the Duleep Trophy include several promising talents:
• Team A: Led by Shubman Gill and featuring players like Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, and Kuldeep Yadav.
• Team B: Captained by Abhimanyu Easwaran, with notable names such as Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.
• Team C: Headed by Ruturaj Gaikwad, including Suryakumar Yadav and Umran Malik.
• Team D: Led by Shreyas Iyer, featuring Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, and Arshdeep Singh.

Kohli and Rohit were last seen in action during India's surprising ODI series loss to Sri Lanka, a series that signaled the start of Gautam Gambhir's term as head coach, With India scheduled to play Bangladesh in two Test matches beginning on September 19 in Chennai and ending on September 27 in Kanpur, the absence of these top players from the Duleep Trophy has sparked a broader discussion about the role domestic cricket plays in developing international stars.

Ultimately the players decide whether or not to participate in domestic tournaments. Though, Manjrekar's remarks have sparked discussions on how best to get ready for international challenges.