We look at the last domestic outing for top Indian players in this segment.
Usually, top Indian cricketers don’t really feature in any domestic tournaments and prefer rest to prepare well for big series. However, the recent trends have changed, and the top BCCI officials and selectors have asked all players to prioritise domestic cricket. In the same vein, the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will reportedly feature in the Duleep Trophy 2024, starting next month.
If top international cricketers decide to play in this tournament, it will be their first outing in any domestic competition in a long time. Due to national commitments, they weren’t part of any domestic series and had no desperate need. However, they might play in the Duleep Trophy to prepare well for a packed Test season.
We look at the last domestic outing for top Indian players in this segment.
The captain of the Indian team across formats, Rohit Sharma, might be among the top names featuring in the Duleep Trophy. Rohit, 37, last played in a domestic tournament in 2016 for India Blue in the final of the Duleep Trophy in Greater Noida. Then, he wasn’t a sure starter in the national side and played as a middle-order batter before shifting to opening, which completely changed his career.
Rohit scored 30 runs in the first innings with the help of four boundaries. Later, he remained unbeaten on 32 in the second dig to help India Blue post a massive target for India Red. His team eventually won the match by a comprehensive 355-run margin.
Among the finest Test batters of this generation, Virat Kohli last played in a domestic game 12 years ago in 2012. It was a Ranji Trophy fixture of Group B between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad. While Kohli had made his debut for India across formats, he and several big names like Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were part of Delhi’s side in the game.
Batting first, Virat Kohli could only assemble 14 runs in the first innings before Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed him. Then, he was out on 43 in the second dig, succumbing to the same bowler again. Kohli couldn’t contribute heavily, and Delhi also went on to lose the game.
KL Rahul has also been a constant across formats, and his last domestic FC outing came back in 2020. It was the semifinal game between Bengal and Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy 2019/20. However, Rahul didn’t have a great game, and his team lost the fixture.
He scored 26 runs in 67 balls, including two boundaries, in the first innings. Then, he was dismissed on a two-ball duck in the second dig. Bengal won the game by 174 runs to storm into the final.
Ravindra Jadeja’s last domestic outing came in the previous year when he recovered from an injury and was making a comeback. It was a Ranji Trophy encounter between Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra in Chennai. Jadeja performed well, even though his team couldn’t win the game.
With the bat, Jadeja scored 15 & 25. With the ball, Jadeja snared a solitary wicket in the first innings but dismissed as many as seven batters in the second dig to keep Saurashtra in the game. However, his efforts went in vain as Tamil Nadu won the match by 59 runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin has been India’s greatest Test spinner of the generation. His last FC outing came in 2020 during a Ranji Trophy fixture between Railways and Tamil Nadu in Chennai. Ashwin weaved his magic in the game to help TN register a comprehensive victory.
He snared four wickets while conceding only 26 runs in the first innings. Then, Ashwin grabbed three wickets in the second attempt to end the game with as many as seven scalps. Tamil Nadu won the game by an innings and 164 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah – India’s finest-ever bowler – last played in the domestic competition during the Ranji Trophy semifinal encounter between Gujarat and Jharkhand in Nagpur in 2017. Bumrah featured for his state side Gujarat and played a pivotal role in helping his team win the game and land into the final. He won the Player of the Match award for his marvellous performance.
While Bumrah could only snare a solitary wicket and conceded 103 runs in the first innings, he made a solid comeback in the second dig. He scalped as many as six wickets in the second innings, giving only 29 runs to bundle Jharkhand on a mere 111. Gujarat won the match by 123 runs and later defeated Mumbai in the final to clinch the trophy.
Mohammed Shami’s last domestic First Class fixture came during the Ranji Trophy game between Bengal and Kerala in 2018. The game was at the iconic Eden Gardens. Shami had a decent outing but would have wanted a better performance.
He snared three wickets in the first innings. He went wicketless in the second dig, bowling only three overs due to a small target. Kerala registered a comprehensive nine-wicket victory.
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