‘Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble played domestic cricket’ – Sunil Joshi slams senior India batters not playing domestic cricket

‘Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble played domestic cricket’ – Sunil Joshi slams senior India batters not playing domestic cricket (Photo Source: Twitter/X)

The year 2024 turned out to be quite dismal for Team India in the longer aka Test format, as they suffered huge defeats against New Zealand and Australia in the last two Test series. As a result, these debacles also led to getting ousted from featuring in their third consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final.

In the aftermath, the senior batter’s performances became the biggest talking points in the last couple of series. Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in Indian cricket, but they have failed to make an impact in Test cricket. Both the batters have been averaging below 30 last season. Moreover, the duo ended up having one of the worst series on the Australian shores.

This led to massive criticism where several former players. Joining the bandwagon, the ex-Chief Selector and the former India spinner, Sunil Joshi, recently brought up the issue of the senior batters not making themselves available for domestic cricket. Notably, Virat Kohli last played domestic cricket way back in 2012, while Rohit last featured for Mumbai in domestic red-ball cricket in 2016.

“Our top-order batters don’t play domestic cricket, and why don’t they play there? If I am injured, no. If I’ve been playing all three formats of the game, then yes. If not, please go and play domestic cricket for four days, as when you score runs on those surfaces, it becomes much more easier,” Joshi was quoted as saying by NDTV.

“Suddenly, when you come, practice and play two sessions in a Test match on a turner, no chance to get runs then. I’ve been saying this since I was part of the selection committee, people like Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble played domestic cricket despite having made it to the Indian team,” he concluded.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah becoming Rohit Sharma’s successor is not the right idea: Mohammad Kaif

India to tour England in June later this year

Besides, speaking of Team India, they will head to England in June, to start their red-ball cricket campaign in the new WTC cycle. This will be another challenging Test series in tough and challenging conditions. The last time India beat England in their backyard was in 2007, under the Captaincy of Rahul Dravid. The Indian side had beaten the hosts by a 1-0 margin in a three-match Test series.