‘Unn sabko khilaane ka kya faayda phir?’ - Rohit Sharma on youngsters not having hunger to play Test cricket

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have landed themselves in hot water after skipping Ranji Trophy matches even after being specifically asked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to participate. On Monday, February 26, after India beat England in the fourth Test in Ranchi by five wickets, skipper Rohit Sharma spoke about youngsters not demonstrating hunger to play the longest format of the game.

"Dekho, jinko Test cricket ki bhookh nahi hai, voh dekhke hi pata chal jaata hai. Unn sabko khilaane ka kya faayda phir? (See, the ones who don't have hunger to play Tests can be inferred based on simple observations, what's the point of playing them)," the Indian skipper said.

Rohit is someone who had to struggle for a long time to get a consistent place in the Indian Test team. He had a dream start to his Test career as he smashed centuries in his first two Test innings in 2013 while batting in the middle-order, both occasions at Number 6. However, he couldn't cement his spot in the team as he was guilty on several occasions of throwing away good starts by getting out playing rash shots. Once he moved up to open the innings, things changed for the better, much like his ODI career, and Rohit became an indispensable cog of the team's machinery.

Meanwhile, Kishan went with the Indian side on the tour to South Africa but returned home citing personal reasons. He hasn't played competitive cricket since then and was spotted sweating it out at the gym along with Hardik Pandya a couple of days ago. Shreyas, on the other hand, is also not playing in the Ranji Trophy where his domestic team Mumbai are currently playing a quarter-final encounter against Baroda in Mumbai. Both Iyer and Kishan are reportedly in danger of being axed from BCCI's central contracts for not obeying instructions of the governing body.

India win Test series against England

India needed just 152 runs when action on Day 4 resumed in the fourth Test of the five-match Test series in Ranchi. The hosts had all 10 wickets intact. England gave it their best shot and had India in a spot of bother at 120/5. However, Shubman Gill (52*) and Dhruv Jurel (39*) stitched a composed 72-run partnership for the sixth wicket to take their team home.

With this win, India have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series. The fifth and final Test match is scheduled to be held in Dharamsala and it begins on Thursday, March 7.