Even Rohit, Kohli should play domestic cricket when free: Kirti Azad
New Delhi (PTI): Member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team Kirti Azad on Thursday backed the BCCI's directive for cricketers to play Ranji Trophy, saying it's a good move and the rule should be applicable to every India team player, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The out-of-favour duo of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were excluded from the list of centrally-contracted players after they ignored the directive to play Ranji Trophy.
"It (directive) is a very good move. Everybody should be playing Ranji Trophy cricket, but currently the emphasis is on the IPL. It is good, it is entertaining but the real cricket is the (five) days' cricket. Playing in domestic cricket is good, it keeps you in touch.
"But whenever you are free, even if you're a Rohit Sharma or a Virat Kohli, you should go back and play domestic cricket for the state. That (state) gave you the opportunity to be a player, get selected and then play for the country.
ALSO READ: Rohit, Virat remain in top bracket; Kishan, Iyer dropped from BCCI central contracts
He felt that penalising just Ishan and Iyer wasn't right.
"Just to penalise the two is not correct, I think everybody should be penalised. Everybody should be seen with the same mirror," Azad told PTI Video.
Azad declined to comment on whether this was the potential end of the road for Ishan and Iyer after their names were excluded from the list of centrally-contracted players.
"My question is, are they playing enough domestic cricket? They are playing T20 cricket, nowadays and every other state has a T20 cricket league. Back in the days when we were starting our careers, players like Bishan Singh Bedi, Madan Lal, Surinder Amarnath, Mohinder Amarnath, Chetan Chauhan, Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Karsan Ghavri played alongside youngsters like me and Ravi Shastri.
"All these senior Test team players would play for their sides, would play for the pride of their state which seems missing in the youngsters nowadays," he added.
He questioned why India players had issues playing domestic cricket while England cricketers willingly played county cricket when not in the national side.
"Look at county cricket; there are 20-plus counties and there are numerous three-day and four-day games along with T20 cricket, but every player is involved there. If a player is left out of the Test squad, then he returns to play for his county.
"So why can't we have our players playing those domestic matches, that's the big question," he added.
He praised players like Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan for finding the balance between T20 cricket for their IPL teams and playing Ranji Trophy.
"There are players like Jurel, Sarfaraz who do play T20 cricket but, at the end of the day, are also representing their states in the Ranji trophy. The bowlers also get into the rhythm of bowling longer spells when they regularly play domestic cricket. It (Ranji) is not a form of slam-bang and thank you," he said.
VIDEO | Here's what former cricketer Kirti Azad (@KirtiAzaad) said on #BCCI dropping Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from central contract.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 29, 2024
"It's a good move. I think everybody should be playing domestic cricket, Ranji Trophy especially, because you come through the ranks and play… pic.twitter.com/wcndYPLl6o
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Azim Premji Foundation Scholarship: How to apply, when to apply; details here
Bengaluru: The Azim Premji Foundation has announced the Azim Premji Scholarship for the academic year 2025–26, aimed at supporting up to 2.5 lakh girls across 18 Indian states who are pursuing higher education after completing school. An official release from the foundation also stated that in the coming years the scholarship will be implemented across the country.
When to Apply:
According to a release from the foundation, the application process for the Azim Premji Scholarship 2025–26 will commence in September 2025. “Details of the program and any changes in the program design or coverage will be notified at the start of the application process,” the release added.
Where to Apply:
According to the release, the scholarship this year will be implemented across 18 states, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Students residing in these states and enrolled in recognised higher education institutions will be eligible to apply.
How to Apply:
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Girls who have completed their Class 10 and 12 education in government (public) schools and have secured admission in a bona fide higher education institution either a government-run college/university or select private institutions can apply for the scholarship.
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Once the application portal opens in September, students will be required to submit personal details, educational qualifications, proof of admission, and bank account information.
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The scholarship amount ₹30,000 per year will be transferred directly into the students' bank accounts in two instalments each academic year, read the release.
