The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is preparing a ‘diktat’ for the men’s international cricketers, asking all senior first-teamers to get some domestic red-ball cricket under their belt ahead of the Test tour of New Zealand later this year. Captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain KL Rahul could turn up for Punjab and Karnataka, respectively, in the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy, which Jasprit Bumrah might be seen in action in too.
According to The Times of India, depending on the BCCI medical team’s clearance, keeping the workload of the players in mind, all seniors will be ‘expected’ to play at least one red-ball match each. The likes of Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who have dealt with injuries of late, will be closely watched by the selectors.
In the case of Bumrah, whose body needs to be managed quite carefully, the board will take a more flexible approach, asking him to either play a Ranji Trophy fixture or a first-class match for India ‘A’.
Why this move?
The Indian team has previously been burned by players not having enough red-ball practice ahead of a crucial Test series, like the 2024 home rubber against New Zealand, which resulted in a shock 0-3 whitewash.
The two-Test rubber against the Kiwis in New Zealand, which begins on November 19, will not only be crucial for the World Test Championship, but also for the future of the team under head coach Gautam Gambhir. The performances have been below the standard for a long time, and the entire system is under pressure to get the Indian Test side back to winning ways.
This policy is not new, however, and began with Gambhir and now-departing chief selector Ajit Agarkar taking charge in 2024. At that time, it was made mandatory to play domestic matches whenever the players were available, and the likes of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer (both key first-team stars now) were stripped of central contracts after failing to appear for their state teams.
