Table of Contents
The Indian team is under constant scrutiny after their 1-3 series loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. In adverse times, the individual performances of the players has disappointed the team time and again. In such a situation, the cricketing community is constantly demanding that out of form players should shift their focus back to domestic cricket where they can work on their basics again and perform for the team.
These demands are not without a cause. Amidst the pomp and luxury of playing international and league cricket, particularly the Indian Premier League (IPL), some star players have left their domestic side far behind. In the light of their recent dreadful performances in international cricket, here is a timeline of when did the top 5 players in the Indian team last play for their domestic side.
Top 5 Team India stars’ last appearance in domestic cricket
1. Virat Kohli:
Time is steadily running out for Virat Kohli, whose performance with the bat is going from bat to worse. His record in Test cricket has been particularly concerning with just 417 runs in 19 innings with a meagre batting average of 24.52. Thus, there is a growing demand that the former Indian skipper should play for Delhi in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. The 36-year-old last featured for Delhi during the 2012 season of the Ranji Trophy in Group D match against Saurashtra.
2. Rohit Sharma:
Rohit Sharma is another star Indian player who recently had a horror-show with the bat. The 37-year-old scored a total of 619 runs in 24 innings with a batting average of an abysmal 24.76. Additionally, Rohit scored just 31 runs in 5 innings during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which added more concerns over his batting form. While Rohit was recently seen attending practice with his domestic side, Bombay, he has not featured in a domestic cricket match since November 2015. Rohit’s last match for Bombay was against Uttar Pradesh in the Group B of the Ranji Trophy where he played a remarkable knock of 113 runs.
Also Read: BCCI issues stringent guidelines for Indian players, warns of disciplinary action for non-compliance
3. Ravindra Jadeja:
Ravindra Jadeja’s tour to Australia too has not gone up to the mark, much like the rest of the team. The all-rounder struggled with the bat and failed to leave a mark throughout the series with the bowl as well. In such a situation, Jadeja needs to focus back on putting on performances for his domestic side, Saurashtra and return to the Indian squad with an improved form. The seasoned Indian all-rounder played his last domestic match against Tamil Nadu in November 2023.
4. Shubman Gill:
With just 93 runs in 5 innings during the BGT 2024-25, Shubman Gill disappointed fans and analysts alike with the bat. The youngster hasn’t performed for India in recent times sparking a huge uproar and questions over his repeated selection in the national squad. Gill has recently joined the practice sessions of his domestic side, Punjab. The 25-year-old last represented them in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final clash against Madhya Pradesh in January 2022 and has not featured for Punjab since.
5. KL Rahul:
Apart from the heroics in Brisbane, KL Rahul could not save the Indian batting unit from putting up a disappointing display in their recent trip to Australia. Rahul has not been consistent with the bat for some time now, and has failed as a top-order batter to stabilize the Indian innings and convert the built momentum in a long innings. Thus there is a growing demand that he needs to focus on domestic cricket and work on regaining international cricket level temperament. Rahul has not played for his domestic side, Karnataka since March 2020. His last appearance in the domestic team was during the Ranji Trophy semi-finals against Bengal in which Karnataka suffered a defeat by 174 runs.
