"Let's not blacklist them or make them outcasts" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Rohit Sharma's comments for Test players

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has said that the players who are not prioritizing Test cricket should not be blacklisted. His comments have come in the wake of the BCCI telling the players to prioritize red-ball cricket and India captain Rohit Sharma saying that only players who have a hunger for the Test will be picked for the Indian team.

The BCCI recently issued a directive to the players, making it mandatory for them to participate in domestic cricket when they are not a part of the Indian team. BCCI secretary Jay Shah also said that there would be ‘severe implications’ if players do not prioritize red-ball cricket. The directive from the BCCI came following several players’ decision to skip Ranji games in order to save themselves for the IPL.

Several reports have suggested that the BCCI might decide against allowing the players to play the IPL or register for the auction if they do not play domestic cricket. Recent reports also suggest that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are likely to lose their central contracts for not playing Ranji games even after the team management asked them to.

Sanjay Manjrekar on BCCI and Rohit Sharma’s directives:

After the BCCI’s directive, Rohit Sharma also issued a stern warning to the players who are not prioritizing Test cricket. Speaking after the fourth Test against England, the India captain said that the team management will prefer those players who have a hunger for Test cricket.

Sanjay Manjrekar has now shared his views on BCCI and Rohit’s directives. While backing Rohit over picking players who care about Test cricket, the former cricketer-turned-commentator has said that players should not be blacklisted or outcasted if they decide against prioritizing red-ball cricket.

“I am somebody who believes in free enterprise. Now the IPL is also a BCCI tournament, it’s not like a rebel tour that the players are going on. So, it’s really up to the individual – what he wants to play, what he wants to prioritize. I don’t think anybody can be forced into prioritizing this or that,” Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.

“There’s enough talent around. It’s very easy to pick out guys who care about Test cricket. You can see Shubman Gill, that innings he played. 120 balls before he hit his first boundary. Clearly, he’s a guy who cares about Test cricket.

“So, it’s easy for the selectors to pick out those guys and also easy to know who are the players who don’t care as much about Test cricket. But let’s not sort of blacklist them or make them outcasts. They have chosen a different format, they want to play a different kind of cricket so be it,” he added.