'Hope this becomes a habit, not a box-ticking exercise' - Sunil Gavaskar on big players' Ranji return

The 2024-25 Ranji Trophy has been a truly spectacular edition. In addition to the high-octane cricket being played, India's premier domestic red-ball competition also saw a host of Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Yashavi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill etc., grace the domestic arena after multiple years of not representing their respective states.

Former Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar, made a mention of the impact which the estanlished cricketers' participation made on the upcoming talents of Indian cricket. 

“The Indian team players may have participated in the Ranji Trophy simply to tick the box of ‘must do's' that the BCCI had insisted on and by doing that, they brought new energy to the National Championship. Even though they may not have made a successful return to the tournament, their very presence would have enthused their teammates and their opponents," wrote Gavaskar in his column for Mid-Day.

"Meeting and spending time with them would give the teammates so much to learn from them as to how to be successful in their careers. Imagine the lift off for the players who got the wickets of Jaiswal, Sharma, Kohli, Rahul. They will be raring to go at other batters knowing that they have got the wickets of India's top order,” he added.

Gavaskar hoped that sharing the stage with the cricketers the superstars kickstarted their international careers would have made them appreciate the grind required to reach at the top.

“Hopefully for the India stars too, meeting the guys with whom they started their Ranji Trophy careers will have rekindled the great memories of the camaraderie and the struggle to climb the ladder to the top. The India stars may not have had great individual success in the Ranji games that they played last week, but by turning up, they have boosted the Ranji Trophy to the level that the National Championship deserves and for that, they deserve all the accolades. Let's hope this becomes a habit and not just a box-ticking exercise,” he added.

'That's what star power is' - Gavaskar on massive crowd turnout on Kohli's return

The erstwhile opener further noted that it was heartening to see the venues fill up with spectactors, despite the reason behind it being the presence of members of the national setup.

Also Read: Student skips school exam to watch KL Rahul play in Ranji Trophy match, picture goes viral

“Elsewhere, it was wonderful to see the number of youngsters who came to watch the Ranji Trophy match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Sure, they came to watch Virat Kohli and that's what star power is about. Even if a fraction of those who came out to watch get inspired by the frenzy that was seen and go on to do something exceptional in their careers, that would be the cherry on top. Earlier in the week, Rohit Sharma's participation in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy game also was good to see," penned Gavaskar.