Bishan Singh Bedi Slams Players For Skipping Ranji Trophy

Spin legend Bishan Singh Bedi has come down hard at players who bunk first-class cricket.

The ongoing opening round of the Ranji Trophy has been a star-studded affair with the likes of  R Ashwin (Tamil Nadu), Suresh Raina (UP), Cheteshwar Pujara (Saurashtra), Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma (Delhi) and Mohammed Shami and Wriddhiman Saha (both Bengal) featuring for their respective sides.

However, there are several discarded Indian players like Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh who have skipped the first round of country’s premier first-class competition, much to the disappointment of Bedi.

“First-class cricket is very important and honestly I don’t like players who bunk it. I have very little time for them. Players missing first-class cricket is a bad omen for Indian cricket. When your international players start bunking domestic cricket is a bad omen for the future,” he told IndianExpress.com. 

At the same time, he praised the players who are playing in the opening round despite being regulars in the Indian team.

“I am glad that they are not missing Ranji Trophy. After making it into the national side, it is important for players to continue in domestic circuit too,” Bedi said.

The former India cricketer further heaped praise on current spin sensation Kuldeep Yadav. The chinaman spinner was India highest wicket-taker in the ODI series against Australia, taking 7 wickets including a hat-trick. Recently, he was adjudged the Man of the Match in the first T20I against Australia for taking 2 for 16 in his four overs.

“Kuldeep’s rise is a signal for a better future for Indian cricket. I like his enthusiasm, his energy level. But we have to be very careful in bracketing him. It is very early to judge him and thus I feel we should let him grow naturally,” Bedi explained.

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“He is a young player who has got loads of confidence and that is helping him enjoy his game on the field,” he added.

 

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