In the wake of India's disappointing 1-3 loss to Australia in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called for senior players in the national team to play more domestic cricket.
BGT ended in disappointment for India, who were hoping to revive themselves after coming into the series on the back of a series defeat against New Zealand at home. Team's top-order once again struggled in key moments, with players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failing to thwart Australian bowling attack. Across all five games, India's top-order never found the momentum, leading to a 1-3 series defeat at the hands of Australia.
Gavaskar stressed that playing domestic cricket will help the players identify the flaws so that they can work on them. He also suggested that staying in the grind of domestic competitions would help players maintain the necessary intensity and skills needed for top-level cricket.
"On January 23, there is the next round of the Ranji Trophy. Let's see how many players from this squad play. There should be no excuse for not being able to play," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
"If you do not play those matches, Gautam Gambhir will have to take a few tough decisions against those who are not available for the Ranji Trophy," he said.
"Gambhir should be saying: ‘You do not have that commitment. We need commitment. You are not playing. Whatever you want to do, do it. But for Indian cricket, you cannot return to the Test squad," he stated.
"What I saw were technical deficiencies. If you have been making the same mistakes, and I am not just talking about this series—I am talking about the New Zealand series as well—what did you do against New Zealand in India?," he stressed.
Gavaskar noted that domestic cricket carries significance keeping in mind the next WTC cycle.
"And that's why, now, because the next cycle will start in June, we have not qualified for the World Test Championship. From now on, we should be ready for it. If we have to take tough decisions, then we will have to take them," he said.
"They are hungry to earn a name for India and themselves. Such players are needed. You need such players who will protect their wicket like their life. That's why I'm interested that on January 23, in the Ranji Trophy matches, who will play? I want to see that," he mentioned.
"Because at that time, there will be T20 matches against England. But those who are not playing T20, will they play Ranji Trophy matches or not?" he said.