The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took drastic steps after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 loss. The board made it mandatory for senior players to play Ranji Trophy as stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to play for their respective states after a long time. Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil lauded BCCI and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for the move but wants them to monitor their performance closely as he feels they were there for the sake of it.
“Firstly, I congratulate Ajit Agarkar (chief national selector), Jay Shah (former BCCI secretary) and all the BCCI authorities who forced all the big cricketers to represent their respective state teams. Every cricketer owes most of his achievements to his own state,” Patil told Sportstar after Mumbai’s semifinal Ranji Trophy 2024-25 semifinal loss to Vidarbha.
“But whenever all the internationals were made to play domestic cricket, they merely participated in these games instead of being involved. The legacy of Mumbai cricket – especially when it comes to international stars’ involvement in Mumbai cricket – was not at all seen and it needs to be fixed.
“I have a request for the association to make sure the international stars are made aware of it. Otherwise, it becomes unfair on the team and the rising stars. Our association has always stood by us but had no option due to the BCCI diktat. They were asked to play and they did, mostly for the sake of it.
“All of them should have been monitored by the Indian national selection committee. If you see, all of them only participated, but didn’t really perform. And it reflects in their team’s performance.”
Patil upset with Suryakumar, Test players
When India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma returned to play for Mumbai alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mumbai lost to Jammu and Kashmir at home. Then T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube returned for the knockouts. Mumbai failed to make it to the final which left Patil disappointed. He is unhappy with Suryakumar's performances in the knockout encounters.
“[I am] Very upset with the way they played [in the Ranji Trophy]. It was something that’s not expected from Test players and the so-called Indian cricketers. The kind of dedication we experienced from our seniors was never on display from the current lot. If you are joining the team and are happy only to be signing autographs, it speaks volumes about you,” Patil said.
“That was the biggest difference between Vidarbha and Mumbai in the semifinals. The greed and grit to win was never seen in the semifinal, or throughout since the second half of the Ranji Trophy. [I am] Totally upset with all the big players, including Suryakumar Yadav.”
The 42-time Ranji Trophy winners failed to make it to the final. Kerala reached the final for the first time and are facing Vidarbha in the ongoing final in Nagpur.