Rashid Latif Claims Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Are Being Forced to Play Domestic Cricket
Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has claimed that Indian senior players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are being unfairly targeted for their red-ball form and are being pressured to play domestic cricket ahead of crucial white-ball assignments.
New Delhi: Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has claimed that Indian senior players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are being unfairly targeted for their red-ball form and are being pressured to play domestic cricket ahead of crucial white-ball assignments.
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Rohit Sharma recently played for Mumbai in their ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir, where he scored three and 28 runs. Virat Kohli is set to join Delhi’s squad for their match against Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium starting on January 30.
Latif’s comments come as several members of the Indian Test squad, who faced a 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, are also participating in the latest round of Ranji Trophy matches. Other notable players featuring in the domestic tournament include Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai), Rishabh Pant (Delhi), Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra), and Shubman Gill (Punjab).
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Latif Criticizes the Domestic Cricket Pressure on Senior Players
According to Latif, both Rohit and Kohli should be focusing on their upcoming white-ball assignments against England and next month’s Champions Trophy in Dubai.
He pointed out that due to the packed international calendar, players rarely get the chance to play domestic cricket, which makes the current focus on the star duo’s involvement in Ranji Trophy matches unnecessary.
Latif mentioned, “There is no time for players to play domestic cricket due to the packed international calendar. If needed, they should play domestic cricket, but due to the targeting of Rohit and Virat, they’re forcing everyone to play domestic cricket.” He further added, “In the past, barring Sachin Tendulkar, others haven’t played much domestic cricket.
Rohit and Virat won the T20 World Cup and reached the final of the ODI World Cup without playing domestic cricket. They will next play the ODI series against England, so they should prepare for it, as white-ball cricket is a totally different game.”
Rohit and Kohli are set to feature in the three-match ODI series against England, starting on February 6. Currently, both teams are engaged in a five-match T20I series, with India starting strong with an emphatic win in the first T20I at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
