Aakash Chopra attacks Virat Kohli and others for treating Ranji Trophy as a 'Punishment task'

Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has made a bold claim about the recent trend in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25. He suggested that the senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are merely marking their attendance without true commitment.

The cricket pundit further compared the current scenario to a "punishment posting," as he raised questions about how India's domestic cricket is being valued by the elite stars. Recently, big names like Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have opted out of Mumbai's crucial must-win game against Meghalaya after playing in the previous game against Jammu and Kashmir.

Aakash Chopra questions Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and others' commitment to Domestic Cricket

On the other hand, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli missed their respective teams—Karnataka and Delhi’s last game, but they are currently playing in the final group stage of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 against Haryana and Railways, respectively, in Bengaluru and Delhi.

KL Rahul (elbow injury) and Virat Kohli (neck stiffness) missed their last game due to injury concerns, while Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal opted out due to the workload management, and that theory is just out of Aakash Chopra’s understanding.

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Actually, he is concerned about this trend. Notably, Ravindra Jadeja has been playing regularly for Saurashtra after returning from the Australia tour, while Shubman Gill is also not playing in Punjab’s ongoing Ranji match against Bengal. However, Mohammed Siraj is playing for Hyderabad against Vidarbha after skipping the last match due to workload management.

It is looking like a punishment posting: Aakash Chopra

Well, the commentator has pointed out that Virat Kohli was practicing with Sanjay Bangar earlier in Alibaug, and he was trying to solve his back-foot and outside-off problems. Chopra is happy that Virat is back at the Ranji Trophy level, but still, he feels Indian stars are treating domestic cricket as a "punishment task" rather than a privilege to represent their state teams.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “Shreyas, Rohit, and Yashasvi have all given it (Mumbai's must-win match against Meghalaya) a miss. Ultimately, everyone has done the token job. Virat had not played (in the first match of the current round of the Ranji Trophy), so he is playing this match. Everyone else has marked their attendance.

What does it tell you? Well, what it tells me is that it is looking like a punishment posting. But first-class cricket is not a punishment. The fact is that it is a privilege for others that they are getting to play with you, and it is a chance for you to find form.”

Read Also: Watch: Fans go berserk with 'Virat Kohli ko bowling do' chants during Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match

Test batting becomes a concern for India

Chopra feels it is an alarming sign that India’s Test batting is declining, and that’s the major reason behind their failure to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship Final for the first time after a rather disastrous run in the 2024/25 season.

The Indian cricket team also lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 for the first time in a decade 3-1, but still more shocking was an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash at home to New Zealand. Now, they are currently facing England in the white-ball series, followed by the Champions Trophy 2025