'India will give opportunity only to players who have hunger for Test cricket': Rohit Sharma

Amid BCCI’s warning for its contracted players to not skip red-ball domestic cricket, India captain Rohit Sharma has said that opportunities will be given to players who “show hunger” for Test cricket. His latest comments, which came after India's win over England in Ranchi, are sure to grow pressure on Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer who have not featured in Ranji Trophy despite being absent from Team India squad.

“This (Test cricket) is the toughest format. And if you want success and want to excel in this tough format then you need that hunger,” Rohit said in the post-match press conference. “It is very important. We will give opportunity only to players who have that hunger. You come to know (easily) the players who don’t have that hunger, (or) players who don’t want to stay here (and play this format). We come to know that.

“Players who have that hunger, players who want to stay here and perform, (and) play in tough conditions, we will give preference to them. Obviously, it is pretty simple: if you don’t have hunger, there’s no meaning playing such players.”

More from First Cricket News

How Gautam Gambhir’s simple plan transformed India’s Test batting in England 'Mike Hesson should not act as Pakistan cricket's father': Ex-Pak cricketer slams New Zealand coach amid poor results

Ishan Kishan has given Ranji Trophy a complete miss despite being out of Team India since December last year. He failed to report for Jharkhand duties even after BCCI general secretary asked the contracted players to feature in the domestic tournament. Iyer, who was dropped after the second Test against England, has also skipped Ranji games for Mumbai, reportedly due to back issues.

Rohit said that currently there are no players who lack hunger but added that it’s important for the team members to make use of the opportunities.

Impact Shorts

View All

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

“At present I don’t see anyone who doesn’t have that hunger: those who are here in the squad and even those who are not here - every one of them wants to play. But the opportunities at this level come very few times,” Rohit said. “If you don’t utilise that opportunity, then you lose that chance. We all have experienced that. So those players who utilise the opportunities, who make the team win, who perform for the team, obviously that is noted. That is very important.”

Read: India clinch 17th successive Test series win at home

India captain Rohit also spoke on the comparison between Test cricket and IPL.

“IPL is for us no doubt a good format. But Test cricket is the most difficult format: to achieve success and perform here is not so easy. We have seen in these four Tests we have played, the three wins we got were not easy. We had to work hard, batsmen had to spend ample time in the middle, bowlers had to deliver longer spells. So this is a format that involves hard work,” he said.

India have been without star players like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami in the ongoing series against England, while injured KL Rahul have been out of action since the first Test and Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the Ranchi Test to manage his workload.

In the absence of some of the big names, players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel made full use of the opportunities to make a mark and lead India to an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.

Rohit praised the youngsters for the way they dealt with the pressure and gave their everything for the team’s cause.

“Given where we were at before the series, a lot of the players (were) missing - I have mentioned it quite a lot, so I don’t want to keep talking about it,” he said. “These guys who have come in have done the job perfectly. They have taken the responsibility perfectly and you can take a lot of pride from performances like this with inexperienced players.

“Whatever you say, Test cricket throws different kind of challenges, (and) different kind of pressures. But some of these (players) - the way they have dealt with the pressures throughout the series - has been superb. A lot of these young guys have never played Test cricket before, never been part of the Indian dressing room.

“Firstly, to understand the dressing-room culture, that is important and to adapt to the style of what we want to do as a team is another factor as well. But these guys have come with an open mind to do whatever is required from the team. ‘I am going to put my hand up and do it’, and that is the kind of guys you need in the squad. Guys who are ready to take up the challenge, basically putting the team ahead (of) individual (needs), this is what these guys have shown.

“Moving forward, it’s a big plus for us with a lot of these guys coming and showing that they belong here. I know it’s still early days but they have shown that they have all the ability, (and) all the skills to excel in this format.”