With the influx of the biggest stars in Indian cricket to the domestic circuit, Ranji Trophy is buzzing like never before. Following India’s failure against New Zealand and Australia, BCCI has put pen to paper and set a mandate that necessitates centrally contracted players to participate in the domestic circuit, and fans consequently saw the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and now Virat Kohli take the field for their state teams.
Kohli, who last played a Ranji match in the 2012-13 season, is all set to take part in the practice session this morning, as he gears up for the clash against Railways, on January 30.
Meanwhile, cricket fans in Delhi are bumbling to see their idol up and close at the Arun Jaitley stadium. Rohan Jaitley, DDCA President, has proactively made special arrangements at the stadium as he expects fans to queue up in large numbers.
Despite ongoing renovations at the stadium, DDCA is preparing to host nearly 10,000 spectators. Special stands will be opened if the pre-planned arrangements are not sufficient. Apart from that, DDCA has facilitated free-of-cost entry for fans willing to watch the game.
Kohli will only appear in the Ranji Trophy once this season as he missed Delhi’s group-stage match against Saurashtra due to a neck strain. It is worth considering whether his participation in the domestic circuit reflects genuine intent or merely tokenism prompted by the BCCI’s new policy, as appears to be the case with other Indian cricketing stars.
If anything, it would have made more sense if the BCCI had mandated the centrally contracted players’ participation in domestic red-ball tournaments, heading into the three back-to-back test series that India played against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia. The timing of their participation seems off considering India is now preparing for the Champions Trophy.
Nonetheless, as star players take the field for their state teams, fans are turning up in large numbers to watch the Ranji Trophy Games. For the first time in a long while, there’s a renewed interest in domestic matches. However, whether this momentum of interest will sustain remains an open question.
At the end of the day, sport is for the fans, and as young kids walk in at the Arun Jaitley stadium to watch their idol, they are sure to get inspired to take up the sport. Young players in the Delhi dressing room will also have an opportunity to rub shoulders with one of the greatest batters of the generation and take inspiration from how Kohli goes about his business on the field.