Shastri urges Rohit, Virat to refine their game against spin

Ravi Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri wants the struggling Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to get back to playing Ranji Trophy in order to improve their game against spin, while also helping youngsters in the domestic game develop.

The repeated failures of the star Indian duo in the Border-Gavaskar trophy contributed to the visitors' series loss. India head coach Gautam Gambhir underlined the importance of domestic cricket following the loss and Shastri echoed that sentiment. "They should go back and play some domestic cricket. It's important to play domestic cricket for two reasons," Shastri said during a conversation alongside Australian great Ricky Ponting on ICC Review.

"One you are abreast with the current generation, you can contribute to that younger generation with your experience. And more importantly, you get to play spin more than you will ever play. " If you see, India's record on turning tracks is not the greatest. If you have quality spinners in the opposition, they can trouble you. And they have troubled India," Shastri added.

Meanwhile, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels Kohli needs a sabbatical in order to rediscover his groove. "If he wants to continue playing Test match cricket, he might just need to have a little spell off for a while, find the love for the game again," he opined.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever