The performance of the star players of the Indian team during the Australia tour was disappointing, after which they are being advised to play domestic cricket. BCCI has also made strict rules in this regard, due to which the chances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing in the second round of the upcoming Ranji Trophy have increased.
If Virat Kohli plays Ranji match for Delhi, he will be playing red ball in domestic cricket after 13 years. Yes, you heard it right, King Kohli played his last Ranji match in 2012. At the same time, other members of Fab-4 Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith have recently played domestic cricket in 2024.
Virat Kohli’s last Ranji match
Virat Kohli played his last domestic match against Uttar Pradesh in November 2012. In this match, he scored 14 runs on 19 balls in the first innings and 43 runs on 65 balls in the second innings. He was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in both the innings.
Joe Root remains active in county cricket
Joe Root has been active in county cricket until recently, and the reason is that he has not got many opportunities in the IPL, leaving him available for domestic tournaments. Root played his last first-class match for Yorkshire in 2024, in which he scored 67 runs on 88 balls in the first innings, while he could only score 10 runs in the second innings.
Break due to Kane Williamson’s injuries
Kane Williamson’s career has been affected by injuries in recent times. He was on a long break due to injury, which has affected his game. After missing the series against India in 2024, Williamson made a comeback playing the match between Northern Districts and Auckland. During this, he scored 60 and 4 runs for Northern Districts.
Steve Smith’s struggle in domestic matches
Steve Smith was also struggling with form in 2024. He tried to gain momentum before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by playing in some domestic matches of Sheffield Shield. However, his performance was quite disappointing and he was able to score only three runs in both innings while playing for New South Wales against Victoria.
Playing domestic cricket of these star players can prove to be important for their career, as it will give them an opportunity to make a comeback at the international level and will increase the chances of better performance.
