India's top stars need to play first-class cricket at home for Test cricket to survive

Indian star batsmen hardly play domestic cricket. The last first-class domestic matches played by Virat Kohli (Ranji Trophy, 2-5 November 2012, Delhi vs UP; Irani Trophy, 1-5 October 2010, Rest of India vs Mumbai; Duleep Trophy, 26-29 January 2010) and Rohit Sharma (Duleep Trophy, 10-14 September 2016, India Blue vs India Red; Irani Trophy, 6-10 February 2013, Mumbai vs Rest of India; Ranji Trophy, 15-18 December 2012, Mumbai vs Saurashtra) explains the trouble the Indian Test team is in. They have floundered against debutants like Todd Murphy and Kuhnemann, who may not get to play again for Australia once they return home. Once the star players like Kohli and Rohit establish themselves in the India team they do not go back to domestic cricket. They only play IPL for their franchises, and unless someone like a Ravindra Jadeja wants to test his fitness after injury does he play domestic cricket, as he did in January 2023.

The BCCI has a star system which ensures that the top stars do not play first-class cricket at home. Their batting in the ongoing Test series, barring Rohit in one innings, is a testimony to the predicament Indian cricket is facing. Cheteshwar Pujara has shown how domestic cricket helps him stay grounded in basics. Players like Rohit and Kohli may be running out of time if they continue to ignore the longest format. 

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) seems to have shot itself in the foot by presenting a sub-standard pitch at the Holkar Stadium in Indore for the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Pitches in India have of late been poor with Test matches not lasting the full five days. The BCCI has made no bones about its preference for such pitches under the excuse that pitches abroad are suited for the home teams. Home advantage is the reason Tests have been played on home and away basis since inception. The best Test teams in history have won both at home and away by playing good cricket. 

The Indian cricket team has won Tests in England, Australia and South Africa by playing competitive cricket on quicker and bouncier pitches. So why fix pitches at home? A plausible reason could be the susceptibility of Indian batsmen in Tests at home as the top stars do not play domestic cricket except for IPL. So the strategy (or whatever it is to be dubbed) is to unleash spinners on the opposition on dust-bowls. At least the strategy back-fired at Indore. The most consistent batsman for India has been Axar Patel who hardly had a bowl. 

The BCCI will have to ensure its top stars play more than the IPL at home. But can the star system be demolished? With a World Cup and an Asia Cup coming around every year and demand for more one-day and T20 internationals by the broadcasters, the top stars are hardly free. A player like Hardik Pandya, who could be the next full-time white-ball captain stays away from first-class cricket. And so does Shikhar Dhawan. As long as he does not retire from all forms of cricket, Dhawan needs to play domestic cricket. The state associations need to be given more teeth to force their top players' availability whenever they are available. The international schedules have to be so designed that the top stars play first-class cricket against each other. The quality of the game will improve and also benefit youngsters coming through the system.