Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has reacted to Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s appeal to the players to play domestic cricket. After losing the Test series to Australia by 1-3, Gautam Gambhir urged the cricketers to start giving importance to red-ball matches to improve their performances.
The BCCI also instructed the centrally contracted players to report for the four-day matches when they are on a break from international cricket. The officials warn the players of severe consequences if the cricketers end up missing red-ball contests without a valid reason.
BCCI gives more power to Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar after Australia debacle
Gautam Gambhir’s coaching tenure hasn’t been impressive with the team losing in Sri Lanka, India and Australia. The sub-continent team failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and failed to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship for the first time. The performance of the side was reviewed in Mumbai on Saturday. The meeting was attended by captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gambhir, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, BCCI president Roger Binny, Vice-President Rajiv Shukla, and Joint Secretary Devajit Saikia.
According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the board has directed all the players to play domestic cricket and the centrally contracted cricketers can only miss matches if they submit a report from the physio.
The players will also have to take permission from Gambhir and Agarkar. Their appeals will only be entertained if head coach Gautam Gambhir and the chief selector Ajit Agarkar give them the nod. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli disappointed the most in Australia, with the former scoring 31 runs in five innings.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli scored a hundred in the series opener in Perth but managed just 190 runs in 9 innings. He was dismissed eight times outside the off stump. Rohit Sharma last played in Ranji Trophy in 2015, while Virat’s last appearance came in 2012. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s long absence from domestic tournaments was also discussed by the BCCI. There is no confirmation whether they will be picked for the five-Test series in England.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant made themselves available for the games, while Rohit Sharma returned to practice sessions with Mumbai. AB de Villiers that players shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions on their participation in domestic tournaments.
Former SA captain AB de Villiers reacts after Gautam Gambhir urges Indian players to play domestic cricket after BGT 2024-25 debacle
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers recently opened up about Indian players’ participation in first-class cricket after the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The 40-year-old opined that the players shouldn’t be taking decisions regarding their participation in domestic tournaments.
The remarks came after India head coach Gautam Gambhir urged the players to play in domestic tournaments, particularly in red-ball cricket. He told reporters in Sydney (via Hindustan Times):
“I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket. That is how much importance domestic cricket needs to be given. Not only one game, if they are available and they have the commitment to play red-ball cricket, everyone should play domestic cricket.”
“As simple as it can get. If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the desired players that you want in Test cricket,” Gautam Gambhir added.
Commenting on the latest developments, AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel:
“The players in my opinion need guidance and they shouldn’t be the ones to make the decisions. If you have niggle, go through assessments, rehab, and get back and take rest. But other than that, I feel the coach and whoever makes the decisions for Indian cricket or the other boards around the world should guide the players.”
“Look at the workloads, understand the form the guys are in, and look at the schedules. Is it important for this guy to play four-day cricket leading up to a big series or is it not? And make the decision on behalf of the players,” Gautam Gambhir added.
De Villiers reiterated that the players shouldn’t be deciding on their participation in domestic tournaments.
“I feel the players shouldn’t have too much power to such an extent that they make their decisions with regards to where they play and where they don’t. They are contracted by the board and should take guidance from above. That is my humble opinion. That’s the way it worked for me right throughout my career.”
“Take ownership of the decisions” – AB de Villiers shares example of Cricket South Africa with Indian cricket
AB de Villiers further shared the example of Cricket South Africa (CSA) with Indian cricket, especially with BCCI, head coach Gautam Gambhir and the selection committee. The cricketer-turned-commentator said in the above video:
“All I can give it you guys is that what happened to us back in the day. We were forced sometimes to play domestic cricket, four-day games that is, preparing for certain Test matches. We were also sometimes forced to rest. So, what I like for Indian cricket moving forward is for the administration or the coaches or the top dogs whatever you wanna call to take ownership of the decisions.”
AB de Villiers also called for transparency between the coach and the players regarding workload management. He concluded:
“And I also had the door open to be honest with the coach and say, “Coach, I know my workload looks like it’s fine but I am mentally incredibly tired, please give me a week off. I need to spend time with the family.’ He would say, ‘AB, thanks for your honesty, take a week off and come back stronger. No problem.’”
It’s worth mentioning that India captain Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli didn’t take part in the 2024 Duleep Trophy that preceded their recent run of 10 Tests. They flopped with the bat throughout the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, and that away series in Australia.
Rohit Sharma in last 10 Tests: 164 runs in 15 innings @10.93, one fifty.
Virat Kohli in last 10 Tests: 382 runs in 19 innings @22.47, one century and a half-century.
India’s next test assignment is in the next WTC cycle starting June vs England so all the players have ample time to re asses themselves playing the longest form of the game .