In a recent discussion, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah addressed the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the Duleep Trophy, explaining that requiring them to play domestic cricket doesn’t make sense due to concerns about their workload.

Shah did, however, emphasize that players recovering from injuries must return through domestic cricket if they want to regain a spot on the national team. He referenced a situation in 2022 when Ravindra Jadeja, after an injury, only made his comeback to the Indian squad following his stint with Saurashtra in domestic cricket.

“We have been little strict. When Ravindra Jadeja had got injured, I was the one who called him and asked him to play a domestic game. It’s certain now, whoever gets injured and goes out, can only come into the Indian team after proving his fitness in domestic cricket. But it doesn’t make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s load by asking them to play domestic cricket. They run the risk of getting injured. You also need to look at England and Australia. None of their top players play domestic cricket. We must treat our players respectfully and not treat them like servants. If you look Duleep Trophy squad, apart from Rohit and Virat rest are going to play,” Shah told Times of India.

Team India is all prepped up for the Test series, where senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will also be seen.