Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan takes an indirect dig at Virat Kohli after his poor performance in the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Railways. Though Pathan didn’t mention any names, his tweet highlighted the challenges of domestic cricket and stressed the importance of players spending more time in the format.
“Indian domestic cricket, especially with the red ball, presents unique challenges. These tend to come up during the winter months. The pitches have more in them, and bowlers you’ve never faced can really surprise you.
In northern India, the black soil alters how the pitch behaves, while the same bowler in the west of India might test you in a whole new way. You can score runs or get out, but there’s much more to it than that. This is exactly why I’ve been advocating for current Indian players to spend as much time as they can playing domestic cricket.”
Pathan explained that Indian pitches vary by region, making domestic cricket tricky. He emphasized that facing unknown bowlers can be challenging and that playing regularly helps improve skills. He also criticized modern cricketers for focusing too much on training instead of playing consistently.
“At the end of the day, a modern-day cricketer’s job is to play cricket year-round, managing niggles and injuries, not to train for 10 months just to play for 2 months.”
Virat Kohli flops on Ranji Comeback
On Day 2 of the match, Virat Kohli disappointed fans by getting out cheaply. After hitting a beautiful straight drive for four, he attempted the same shot again but was bowled by Himanshu Sangwan.
His dismissal at 15 balls triggered a brief collapse for Delhi. However, the team recovered well, finishing at 334/7, with Ayush Badoni scoring 99 and Sumit Mathur remaining unbeaten on 78.
