"It's looking like a punishment posting" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli and other Indian cricketers playing solitary Ranji Trophy games

Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that Virat Kohli and other Indian cricketers playing solitary Ranji Trophy games seems like 'punishment posting.' He pointed out that while Kohli is playing in Delhi's ongoing clash against Railways, the ones who played in the previous round of matches have given the current round a miss.

After losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test series 3-1 earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly asked the Indian players to play domestic cricket if they were not playing international games. While most players, including Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja, played in the previous round of the Ranji Trophy, some players like Kohli are in action in the ongoing games.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener highlighted that the international players were virtually marking their attendance in domestic cricket.

"Virat Kohli has become ready to play the game in Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He was practicing with Sanjay Bangar earlier in Alibaug. He was trying to solve his back-foot and outside-off problems. So he has tried and now he is back at the Ranji Trophy level," he said (6:40).

"He is playing but the others aren't. Ultimately, everyone has done the token job. Virat had not played, so he is playing this match. Everyone else has marked their attendance. It's looking like a punishment posting. However, first-class cricket is not a punishment," Chopra added.

Chopra pointed out that a dual purpose is served when international players play domestic cricket. He said while it is a privilege for domestic players to play with the big names, it's a chance for stalwarts like Kohli to find their form.

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"He has scored only 3 centuries in the last 5 years" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli's diminishing 'strike rate' of Test hundreds

Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten century in India's second innings of the BGT 2024-25 first Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Virat Kohli's frequency of scoring Test hundreds had reduced drastically when compared to the other members of the 'Fab Four' — Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson.

"Smith has scored a century (against Sri Lanka). He has struck his 35th century in just 205 innings. Root has scored 36 hundreds but he has played 278 innings. So if you look at it in terms of the strike rate, the number of innings he takes to score a century, then Steve Smith is ahead of Joe Root. However, Kane Williamson has played only 186 innings and has scored 33 hundreds. His strike rate is better than those two," he said (8:15).

"If I see Virat Kohli here, he has played 210 innings, which means he has played five more innings than Steve Smith and has five centuries fewer than him. So Virat Kohli, unfortunately, now has the least strike rate because he has scored only three centuries in the last five years," Chopra added.

Kohli's career frequency of Test hundreds is still better than Root's. While the former India captain averages seven innings per Test century, Root has played an average of 7.72 innings per hundred.