Rohit Sharma is very pleased with the new entrants, including Sarfaraz, Dhruv, Yashasvi, and Akash. They have also made it clear what kind of talent they want in their team.

The hitman sent a message to aspirants who wanted to join the Test team but didn’t want to put in the work. He said that only those with a “hunger for victory” would be considered for the team.

“Jin logon ko bhookh hai, hum unhi logon ko mauka denge (We will give opportunities to only those who are hungry),” Rohit declared, making it clear that the team management is not willing to entertain players who do not display a burning desire to perform.

“Agar hunger nahi hai to unko khila ke koi matlab nahi hai (There’s point in playing those who don’t have the hunger),” he said.

Ishan Kishan, who is part of the highly successful Mumbai Indians team, skipped the Ranji Trophy for his state, Jharkhand, and was spotted in Baroda, training with Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya for the IPL scheduled next month.

“I don’t see anyone in the team here who is not hungry. All the boys who are here and also those who are not, they all want to play. But the thing with Test cricket is that you get very few opportunities. If you don’t utilise them, they go away,” he asserted.

“Test Cricket Is The Toughest Format”, Rohit Sharma

“Test cricket is the toughest format. If you want to excel and achieve success in this format, you have to show the hunger,” said Rohit Sharma.

Without naming anyone, Rohit pointed out the stringent selection criteria set by the team management.

“Yeh pata chal jata hai kisko bhookh nahin hai aur kin logon ko yahan pe rehna nahin hai. Yeh pata chalta hai. Jo logon ko bhookh hai, tough conditions mein khelna hai, un logon ko preference diya jayega. (

It becomes apparent who is not hungry and who does not want to stay here. Those who are hungry and who want to play in tough conditions will be given preference). It’s very simple,” he emphasized.

“IPL is a very good format for us, but this is the toughest format and difficult to excel. You have to work hard to win…the last three wins didn’t come easy, bowlers had to do long spell, batsmen had to grind it out. It’s tough,” he explained.

Rohit’s comments come at a moment in Indian cricket where several centrally-contracted players, who were fit and available for selection in their state teams, chose not to play in the Ranji trophy, preferring instead to stay fit for the Indian Premier League, which begins its latest edition on March 22, in Chennai.

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have been making headlines recently for all the wrong reasons, mostly for not following the BCCI’s clear instructions to play for their respective state in the Ranji Trophy.

Both cricketers remained silent, ignoring the warnings of BCCI. They, along with Hardik Pandya, another ace India player who has not played in Tests since 2018, will be playing in a local competition (DY Patil T20 Cup) in Navi Mumbai ahead of IPL 2024.

Comment on Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder who captained the Mumbai Indians, led the Reliance One team against BPCL on Monday. The BCCI did not organize the tournament. Pandya led Reliance One against BPCL as the Mumbai Indians’ captain. He took two wickets in three overs.

Ishan Kishan is expected to play for the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday. He had taken a ‘personal break’ in December and hadn’t played in the Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand this season.

Shreyas, who was unable to play in the Ranji Trophy due to a back problem, has been named BPCL squad list. However, it is unclear if he’ll be playing in the tournament or if he’ll turn up for Mumbai at the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu if they qualify.

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