New Delhi. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the squads for the six-match white-ball series in Sri Lanka, but also clarified its stance on the participation of players in domestic competitions. “The BCCI will continue to monitor the availability and participation of players in the upcoming domestic cricket season, 2024-25,” the BCCI release said on Thursday. This message from the BCCI suggests that from next season, international players may be seen competing in domestic matches. While the BCCI's push to get international players to take domestic cricket seriously is nothing new – as seen in the punishment given to Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan for not playing Ranji matches last season, this approach has grown even more since Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach.

The BCCI, in conjunction with the selectors, will closely monitor the players' movements throughout the domestic matches and when there are no international assignments. The new domestic season will begin on September 5 with the four-team Duleep Trophy competition, and the participation of some international players, if not all A-listers, cannot be ruled out. The new head coach had recently remarked, “I believe in one thing very strongly, that if you are good, you should play all three formats. I have never believed in injury management, you get injured, you recover. It's as simple as that.” The new in-charge of the Indian team had said during a conversation with Star Sports, “Injuries are a part of a player's life. And if you are playing all three formats, you get injured, you go back, recover, but you should play all three formats. I am not a great believer in identifying people that we will keep them for Test matches or other formats. We are going to manage their injury and workload etc. Professional cricketers have very little time to play for their country and you want to play as much as you can. And when you are in very good form, go ahead and play all three formats.”

The topic was discussed at the selection committee meeting on Thursday, which Gambhir also attended. In fact, it is likely that Hardik Pandya lost his T20 captaincy because he wanted to skip the ODI leg of the Sri Lanka series. This message is believed to have been conveyed to Pandya. Both chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Gambhir are understood to have explained to Pandya the need to be available for all the games. However, those close to the all-rounder suggest that he had sought a break from ODIs for personal reasons (he announced his separation from his wife on Thursday night). Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's decision to play the ODIs in Sri Lanka is clearly in line with Gambhir's principle. The coach is adamant that all players participate in international competitions and both Rohit and Kohli were spoken to by board officials.

With only six ODIs left before the Champions Trophy – three against Sri Lanka next month and three more against England next year – participation in these matches was deemed important for the seniors. Indications of Rohit's availability had been there for a few days, but Kohli playing has happened only recently. There was a consensus that world's top pacer Jasprit Bumrah should be rested. Meanwhile, it has emerged that Kohli is comfortable working with Gambhir and has clearly conveyed this to the concerned BCCI officials. Despite a history of sharp confrontations captured by cameras during IPL games, Kohli has said that past issues will have no bearing on their professional relationship in the dressing room. After the World Cup final in Barbados, the matter was reportedly discussed. Kohli, who like Gambhir is from Delhi, assured the concerned parties that he believes both are working for the country's interests and are ready to move forward forgetting the earlier differences.