Rahul Dravid’s opinion that Indian players don’t need to play in foreign competitions has been shared by Zaheer Khan and Ravi Shastri. They say that because there is a strong domestic structure in place, “we should focus on our country rather than looking beyond.”
There is a perception that Indian players, who are unable to compete in international leagues like the Big Bash League and the Hundred, are at a disadvantage to players from other nations, who have access to a wider variety of playing environments.
After India was defeated by England by 10 wickets in the most recent T20 World Cup semifinal, the debate gained steam.
The same opinion has been expressed by former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan, who claims that there is no justification for Indian athletes to play in foreign leagues given the country’s already-viable domestic system.
Shastri’s remarks
“At this time, I am unable to think of any other reason why players would want to travel to compete in a specific competition, said Shastri.
He then added, “there is a solid system in place for you domestically right now. Why rely on other people then? The tools we need to create talented players are plentiful. In an engagement organized by Prime Video, Zaheer said, “And you look at our bench strength as well. You can practically play three line-ups, and they will be able to compete at any level.”
“I believe several procedures are in place. It’s about traveling to different nations to discover stuff, not just playing franchise cricket there. That is something that is significant, and as you can see from the BCCI’s shadow tours, I believe those procedures are effective.
“There is enough domestic cricket for all of these youngsters to integrate into the system and have a chance.
“The opportunity will arise for the other team to go somewhere else while India is in another country – to go play and see what you know they can do”, according to Shastri – plus you get these India A tours and you get a lot of these other tours. At any given time, two Indian teams may be competing in the future.
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