Sunil Gavaskar Questions BCCI Over MS Dhoni And Shikhar Dhawan's Absence in the Ranji Trophy

Legendary India cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar has questioned BCCI over the absence of MS Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan from the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Though the statement fits for Dhawan, it doesn’t suit to MS Dhoni, as he already left the Test cricket and handing his services only in the 50-over format.

Sunil Gavaskar quoted that MS Dhoni hasn’t played in the T20I format against Australia and also didn’t feature against Windies in the Test format. He also pointed out his absence in Australia Tests. Perhaps, Sunil Gavaskar forgot that Dhoni has retired from the Test format.

Further, he went on to say that the pressure on MS Dhoni will always be huge for various reasons. He also cited that when a cricketer is getting older, the gap between the matches won’t help the individual, as the reflexes won’t be the same.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

“He (Dhoni) didn’t play the T20Is against Australia, before that he didn’t play the West Indies Tests, and then he is not playing the Test series against Australia. So, he last played in October and will next play in January, which is a huge gap. But if he doesn’t do well on tours of Australia and New Zealand, then there will be more questions asked on his place in the World Cup,” Gavaskar told India Today.

“As you grow older and if there is a gap in your [competitive] cricket, your reflexes will slow down. If you play any form of cricket at the domestic level, you get an opportunity to play long innings, which serves as a good practice for you.”

BCCI should not allow players skipping Domestic Cricket – Sunil Gavaskar

Further, he added that it is not the fault of the players, as he feels it is the job of the BCCI to ask players to represent their state in the domestic season.

“We shouldn’t ask Dhawan and Dhoni ‘why you are not playing domestic cricket’. We should in fact ask the BCCI and selectors that why are they allowing players to skip domestic cricket when they are not on national duty. If the Indian team has to do well, players have to be in prime form and for that they have to play cricket,” Gavaskar said.

Well, it would be interesting to see whether BCCI considers the option or not. As of now, MS Dhoni and Dhawan returning to domestic cricket isn’t there on the cards.