Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah were initially set to participate in the Duleep Trophy before the New Zealand Test series. However, all four players later withdrew, leaving many experts and fans disappointed.
Source: NDTV
Team India’s underwhelming performance in the 3-match Test series against New Zealand has raised questions about the players’ preparation. While India had previously triumphed over Bangladesh in a 2-match Test series, the loss against New Zealand sparked concerns, especially as it came after suggestions that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah would participate in the domestic Duleep Trophy to gear up for the series.
None of the four players ended up participating in the tournament, which left former cricketers questioning the decision. After India’s 0-3 series loss to New Zealand, several former players attributed the defeat to a lack of match practice. According to a report in The Indian Express, all four players had initially agreed to participate in the Duleep Trophy but later cited a “lack of motivation” as the reason for pulling out.
The selectors had made all necessary arrangements for their participation in the Duleep Trophy, which took place between September 5 and 22 in Bengaluru and Anantapur. But as the report suggests, they withdrew just before the tournament began.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar commented on the situation, telling the newspaper, “They should have had some practice, definitely. It’s a long gap. I know we beat Bangladesh, and it looked as if it was going to be a cakewalk against New Zealand. But New Zealand, obviously, had a better attack, with cricketers who have played in India and in the IPL, who have a sense of what Indian pitches do.”
The report also claims that Ravindra Jadeja was pulled out of the Duleep Trophy after Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, and Ashwin withdrew. Among the India players who did participate in the domestic tournament were Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar.
While Jadeja delivered an impressive 10-wicket haul during the Mumbai Test, Rohit, Kohli, and Ashwin appeared lackluster, and Bumrah struggled to make an impact on spin-friendly pitches.
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