No Room For Excuses: Gavaskar Calls On Senior Players To Prioritize Ranji Trophy

Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar has asked experienced Indian batsmen to turn onto the next Ranji Trophy season without any alibi and to regard this as essential, considering domestic competition would play a big role in overcoming those technical errors made against New Zealand and Australia of late.

Gavaskar expressed his worry over the performance of the Indian team in the recently concluded series against New Zealand and Australia. The batting line-up had failed to perform to its expectations in both series.

India had been defeated 0-3 at home by New Zealand, while on their own turf, they were defeated 1-3 by Australia. According to the legendary opener, these failures revealed technical deficiencies that were not being rectified.

“Indian batters need to step up and use the Ranji Trophy to fix these issues,” Gavaskar said while speaking with Star Sports. He said that the players must use the upcoming domestic cricket season to focus on their weaknesses.

Ranji Trophy – An Opportunity For Redemption

Gavaskar called upon the Indian cricketers to take the Ranji Trophy, starting from January 23, as a challenge to prove their intent to better their game. “There should be no excuse for not being able to play,” he said, adding that the domestic matches coming up were of prime importance for those who have not been performing to their expectations in international matches.

Gavaskar also took a direct approach to urge accountability, calling out senior players who might shy away from domestic cricket. He suggested that if certain players did not participate, Gautam Gambhir, a prominent figure in Indian cricket, should take decisive action and exclude them from future Test squad selections.

“Gambhir should say: ‘You do not have that commitment. We need commitment. You are not playing, and whatever you want to do, do it. But for Indian cricket, you cannot return to the Test squad,'” he added.

With the 2025-2027 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle fast approaching, Gavaskar feels that this is the wake-up call for players and the selection panel of the Indian team not to qualify for the ongoing WTC. According to him, domestic cricket will be the way forward for the country to shine in the upcoming cycle. Players must make the most of this period and hone their skills to get back into form.

“The technical mistakes I saw, if you keep repeating them game after game in a series, it is the time to get rid of those. We need to see consistency against Australia and even against New Zealand,” said Gavaskar, who further emphasized the need for domestic cricket in making the Indian Test side successful.

Youth For India’s Future

Looking ahead, Gavaskar also highlighted the potential of young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who are hungry for success and committed to the game. “These are the kind of players who will fight for their place and protect their wickets like their lives depend on it,” he said, adding that such attitudes are necessary to build a strong foundation for the future.

As T20 matches are to be played against England along with the Ranji Trophy, Gavaskar expressed his desire to know who will opt for the longer version. “I want to see who will play in the Ranji Trophy matches. Those who are not playing the T20s should be playing domestic cricket,” he concluded.

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