State units agree with Rohit Sharma's "hunger" comment

Indian skipper Rohit Sharmas statement that test opportunities should be provided to those who show hunger for the format found resonance with state associations grappling with youngsters desperate to make a name in whiteball cricket but reluctant to grind it out in firstclass gamesThe arrival of the cashrich league IPL gave rise to the debate between club vs country for years now The skippers statement came when two established names of Indian cricket Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan ignored the order by BCCI to play Ranji Trophy quarterfinals instead of focusing on the Indian Premier Leagues preparationsAlso Read Virat Kohli was seen spending quality time with daughter Vamika in LondonJin logon ko bhookh hai hum unhi logon ko mauka denge We will give opportunities to only those who are hungry the Indian skipper Sharma stated after securing the series win against England after the fourth test matchAgar hunger nahi hai to unko khila ke koi matlab nahi hai Theres no point in playing those who dont have the hunger he saidThe hunger that Rohit spoke was seen in young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal Dhruv Jurel Sarfaraz Khan Akash Deep and Shubman Gill All individuals delivered at deifferent stages of the series against the English menBut Rohit did make a point about the unnamed ones who dont seem to have that fire in the belly I concur with the Indian captain There should be hunger in younger cricketers to play the longest format Abhilash Khandekar president of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association told PTIIt is for those that the BCCI issued a directive earlier this month asking centrallycontracted cricketers to be available for Ranji engagementsSeveral officials from state associations agreed with the statement of Rohit Sharma that those who are not up for it should not be considered for the toughest format of the game But they also feel that a system needs to be in place so that such a situation never arisesRanji Trophy cannot be taken lightly by any player it is the backbone of Indian cricket It is the most important tournament in domestic cricket This should be followed up in other formats in domestic cricket Khandekar saidAnother official who did not wish to be named went to the extent of saying that Ranji Trophy ran the risk of a slow death if it was not made mandatory for top players to competeState units see the parent bodys move as a case of better late than never I complement BCCI for this decision of compelling players to play for their state in Ranji Trophy I see it as a case of better late than never this is going to help domestic cricket in a big way said KhandekarPreviously the Indian batsmen were seen struggling against spin bowling Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar believes that is the players play for their respective states in Ranji Trophy it would only benefit them to be good players of spinPlaying Ranji is very important It helps you play spin better on Indian wickets your overall skills are improved And when you play foreign teams it becomes easier to face spin said Vengsarkar himself a great player of spinI feel it is a players wish whether to play Ranji or not If he doesnt want to play we have enough in India to choose from they will play and establish themselves No one is bigger than the game No one is indispensable he saidIndias wicketkeeperbatsman Dhruv Jurel made the most out of Ishan Kishans absence He played two crucial under pressure knocks for the sideLike the MPCA chief a state unit official proposed another step to rein in players who ignore redball cricket This was a much needed step and should have been taken earlier If an India player is regularly featuring in Ranji Trophy it acts a massive motivator to the younger players in the squadI would also want the BCCI to empower state units to ban those players who dont play Ranji Trophy If a senior is dropped for once the juniors would not dare to ignore their red ball commitments for T20 cricket said a state unit official requesting anonymityWith PTI Inputs