Delhi Capitals' Rs 8.4 Crore J&K Pacer Namedropped In Sunil Gavaskar's Big 'Ranji Trophy' Verdict

Legendary Indian cricket team skipper Sunil Gavaskar said that Ranji Trophy cricketers deserve a lot of appreciation and their recognition should not come only after they play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gavaskar cited the lack of coverage for players like Ravichandran Smaran and Sanat Sangwan after they performed brilliantly in the domestic circuit. He pointed out that the attention is way more when it comes to players shining in the IPL or the U-19 World Cup. A particular example that Gavaskar gave to prove his point was that of Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi. He said that although Nabi has performed well in the Ranji Trophy, the coverage surrounding him would have been considerably lower if he was not picked by Delhi Capitals for Rs 8.4 crore in the IPL auction.

“Where are the stories of players like Ravichandran Smaran, Ayush Doseja, Sanat Sangwan, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Abhinav Tejrana, Siddhesh Lad, Aman Mokhade, Armaan Jaffer and Kunal Chandela, who have all scored over 700 runs this year?” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

“Where are the write-ups on Mayank Mishra and Siddharth Desai, to name two bowlers who have taken more than 40 wickets this season? Yes, there have been write-ups about Auqib Nabi. But could that be because he was snapped up in the IPL auction? If that had not happened, he, too, would perhaps have been ignored. Like the names mentioned above,” he added.

Gavaskar went on to say that Ranji Trophy is cricket's National Championship in the country and urged everyone to give it the prominence and importance that it deserves.

“The Ranji Trophy is the National Championship and should therefore be given prominence. Perhaps because the players are not always on television, like the U-19 and IPL boys, their efforts do not get the gushing headlines that others receive. Then there is the lament that U-19 World Cups and the IPL are a shortcut to the India cap. But who is to be blamed? Only the selectors?,” wrote Gavaskar.

“Or also those who sideline Ranji Trophy performers to some remote corner of their papers, or do not even mention them on their television shows and public media platforms? With India on the back foot in the World Cup, hopefully, the Ranji Trophy final will get more coverage. Or is that too much to hope for?” he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Aquib Nabi Sunil Gavaskar Cricket