Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been continuously striving to give top priority to domestic cricket for the last two years. The board has even warned that centrally contracted players may be fined for their absence from domestic matches when they are not on national team duty. This policy was started by former secretary Jay Shah and now Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and selection committee head Ajit Agarkar are also fully supporting it.

Gambhir and Agarkar’s emphasis on domestic cricket

Gambhir and Agarkar believe that players should participate in domestic cricket and India ‘A’ matches to remain competitive in all formats. This makes it possible to accurately assess the fitness and performance of the players. However, fast bowler Navdeep Saini, who is out of the Indian team, does not completely agree with this policy.

Navdeep Saini expressed his pain, said – IPL is the real criterion

Navdeep Saini expressed his displeasure while talking to PTI after his brilliant performance by taking 2 wickets for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy match against Himachal Pradesh on Sunday. He said that whether anyone likes it or not, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become the real criteria for making a place in the Indian team.

Saini said, “It is a fact that if you want to play for India, you have to perform well in the IPL. Last year I suffered a shoulder injury, due to which my bowling speed was affected and I had to suffer the consequences by losing my IPL contract.”

The dream of playing for India again is still alive

At one time Navdeep Saini was considered the future of Indian fast bowling. He impressed everyone with his fast bowling in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and played an important role in India’s historic Test series win. However, his career was derailed after he suffered a groin injury during the Gaba Test.

Saini has played 8 ODI and 11 T20 International matches for India so far. Even though he is currently out of the race for the national team, his dream of playing for India again is still intact. He said, “Why not? If I take five wickets two-three times in Ranji, then I can come into the selection discussion again.”

He said with confidence, “When I started cricket, I had nothing to lose. The situation is the same even today. If I do not dream of returning to the Indian team, then I have no right to retain my place in the Delhi team.”