Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan’s comments resurface after BCCI's ten-point whip

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) recently issued a ten-point guideline document to India's contracted men's players in a bid to "promote discipline, unity and a positive team environment". The decision was made after India’s recent performance in the longest format, particularly after the 3-0 home  series loss to New Zealand followed by a 3-1 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Down Under.

With several new policies being implemented, the recent remarks of former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan have resurfaced. Pathan had attributed India's subpar batting performances to the lack of domestic cricket practice. One of the BCCI's agenda in the has mandated domestic cricket participation to remain eligible for national selection. 

The new policy mentions that "participation in domestic matches is mandatory for players to remain eligible for selection in the national team and for central contracts, as per BCCI guidelines. This policy ensures that players remain connected to the domestic cricket ecosystem, fostering talent development, maintaining match fitness, and strengthening the overall domestic structure. It also inspires emerging players by providing them opportunities to compete alongside top cricketers, ensuring continuity in talent progression."

Notably, Pathan had highlighted the point following India's loss to Australia, questioning why senior cricketers struggling to score could not play domestic cricket.

"Many players had the opportunity to play domestic cricket, but they did not play. Why is that happening? Because the culture has changed. We have to change the culture. We have to improve things for Indian cricket as a team," Pathan had said while speaking to Star Sports. "Tell me, when was the last time Virat Kohli played domestic cricket? When did it happen? Even the great Sachin Tendulkar played Ranji Trophy even when it wasn’t required of him, only because he wanted to spend that much time—four or five days—on the pitch."

There should be no excuse for not being able to play domestic cricket: Gavaskar 

Furthermore, Sunil Gavaskar had also talked about the Indian batters not playing enough domestic cricket. With the resumption of the Ranji Trophy looming, Gavaskar had expressed his desire to see Indian national players to turn up for their state sides.

"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. 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,” Gavaskar had told Star Sports.

While the Ranji participation of senior pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is not confirmed, the latter was part of the Mumbai's practice session at the Wankhede Stadium ahead of the team's clash against Jammu and Kashmir while the former has been named in the Delhi's 22-member squad, which also includes Rishabh Pant.

It is understood that Kohli's participation is subjected to his availability. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai) and Shubman Gill (Punjab) have also confirmed their availability for the second-round fixtures of their respective teams.

Notably, Kohli's last domestic cricket match came in 2012-13 against Uttar Pradesh while Rohit was last seen in Mumbai's outfit in 2015 against the same opposition. Gill's last Ranji Trophy appearance for Punjab was back in 2022 against Madhya Pradesh, on the other hand, Pant has not played a domestic game since the 2017-18 season.