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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 7:24:18 pm

Domestic Cricket: The Road to Team India

India needs a clear selection policy that establishes consistent standards for newcomers and established stars alike. Indian cricket’s domestic circuit has often been described as the foundation on which the national team is built. Yet, there is a need to reinforce a fundamental principle: a place in Team India must be earned through performance, not protected by reputation. Domestic cricket must remain the most credible proving ground for aspiring players, established stars, dropped...

Domestic Cricket: The Road to Team India

India needs a clear selection policy that establishes consistent standards for newcomers and established stars alike. Indian cricket’s domestic circuit has often been described as the foundation on which the national team is built. Yet, there is a need to reinforce a fundamental principle: a place in Team India must be earned through performance, not protected by reputation. Domestic cricket must remain the most credible proving ground for aspiring players, established stars, dropped cricketers and those returning after a break. For an aspiring cricketer, scoring runs in the Ranji Trophy or taking wickets in the Duleep Trophy should carry considerable weight in the selection process. Talent may open the door, but sustained performance in competitive conditions should determine whether a player deserves to walk through it. Reputation and potential cannot become permanent substitutes for runs, wickets and match-winning contributions. The same principle must apply to established international players. India needs a transparent selection policy that clearly establishes when a player is expected to return to domestic cricket, what performance benchmarks will be considered and under what circumstances an exemption may be granted. Without such consistency, selection risks appearing subjective. Different standards could be applied to established stars and those waiting for their first international opportunity. When a Test cricketer is dropped for poor form, returning to domestic cricket should be the natural next step. A few net sessions cannot replicate the pressure of a four-day or five-day contest. A batter needs to spend hours at the crease and negotiate different bowling spells. The player must also convert starts into substantial scores. A bowler needs to demonstrate rhythm, control and stamina, as well as the ability to sustain pressure across long spells. Domestic cricket provides evidence of improvement rather than merely an assurance that a player has been working on his game. Selection should therefore be linked to demonstrated form and readiness, rather than an automatic recall based on past achievements. There is an equally strong case for regular Test players to represent their state teams whenever the international calendar permits. Those who are rested or have a break between two Test series should consider domestic matches an opportunity, not an inconvenience. Red-ball cricket demands a temperament different from that required in shorter formats. The ability to leave deliveries, bat through difficult sessions and negotiate reverse swing cannot be developed entirely in the nets. Players must also learn to maintain concentration over several hours. The selection policy must distinguish between a player who is rested for workload management and one who is dropped for poor performance. A rested player should follow an appropriate preparation and match-readiness plan, while a dropped player should have a clear route back through competitive cricket. Injury-related exemptions must be based on medical advice. International commitments should also be accommodated through sensible scheduling. Most importantly, exemptions should not become privileges reserved for marquee players. If a young cricketer must score consistently in domestic cricket to earn a place, an established international should not be assured selection merely because he has delivered in the past. Seniority deserves respect, but it cannot guarantee a place in the playing XI. The Board of Control for Cricket in India and the selectors should establish clear expectations for participation in domestic red-ball competitions. Workload management, injury rehabilitation and national duty should be recognised as legitimate grounds for exemption. Such a policy would improve accountability, strengthen the Ranji Trophy and give selectors a more reliable basis for assessing form. Domestic cricket also benefits from the participation of international players. It allows younger cricketers to test themselves against experienced opponents and learn the demands of elite competition. Ultimately, domestic cricket should be neither a punishment for failure nor a ceremonial obligation. It must be an integral part of a cricketer’s professional life. Team India selection must be a merit-based process, not a privilege earned through reputation. For newcomers, domestic cricket is the route to recognition; for dropped players, it is the path to redemption; and for established stars, it is an opportunity to demonstrate that they remain worthy of the national colours.

The Tiger in the Crosshairs

Writer: Akhilesh Sinha
Akhilesh Sinha
3 hours ago
3 min read

From Heropanti to War, Tiger Shroff fashioned a screen identity around physical courage. A real-life shooting has now brought him face to face with a different kind of danger.

When Tiger Shroff burst onto the Hindi film scene with Heropanti in 2014, he appeared to have arrived from a different cinematic universe. While Bollywood’s traditional leading men relied on swagger and romantic charisma, Shroff offered a more elemental display. The son of veteran actor Jackie Shroff, he was an unlikely combination of old-fashioned film lineage and a new-age, physically demanding action aesthetic.


The Baaghi franchise turned him into a recognisable action star, while War (2019), opposite Hrithik Roshan, demonstrated that his athleticism could command the scale of a major commercial spectacle. Films such as Ganapath and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan subsequently tested his ability to sustain that appeal in an increasingly competitive market. Not every gamble paid off, but Shroff’s commitment to martial arts, dance and elaborate stunts remained central to his identity.


Then, earlier this week, the violence he had spent a career simulating came alarmingly close to home when gunmen opened fire at his BMW in Mumbai’s Juhu area as he was leaving after a football match. Shroff escaped unharmed, but his driver and another person were reported injured. The attackers allegedly arrived on a motorcycle and fled after firing several rounds.


The operatives are alleged to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang that has claimed responsibility, although investigators have had to establish the authenticity of the claim and the precise chain of responsibility. Police have subsequently arrested suspects in connection with the attack.


Reports citing police sources have suggested that Shroff may have been selected after a proposed attack on Salman Khan was frustrated by the stringent security around the older actor. According to those accounts, the assailants allegedly learnt of Shroff’s regular football outings.


Tiger, whose cinematic persona depends on fearlessness, has become the target of a threat that cannot be neutralised by a well-timed punch.


Born Jai Hemant Shroff on March 2, 1990, in Mumbai, he grew up with Bollywood in his bloodstream. His father’s journey from relative obscurity to stardom offered a firsthand education in the uncertainties of the film business. Yet Tiger did not simply inherit his father’s screen manner. Where Jackie’s appeal often rested on a relaxed, streetwise charm, his son cultivated an almost ascetic discipline, building his performances around movement and physical precision.


This helped him occupy a niche in an industry increasingly influenced by international action cinema. His flips, kicks and gymnastic sequences became selling points, while his dancing broadened his appeal beyond the traditional action audience. He also co-founded Matrix Fight Night, a mixed martial arts platform, reflecting an interest in combat sports beyond the requirements of film promotion.


The alleged connection to the Bishnoi network adds a more troubling dimension. The gang has been associated by investigators with threats, extortion and attacks involving prominent figures, including Salman Khan. Its methods illustrate how criminal intimidation can exploit celebrity culture.


For Bollywood, this is an uncomfortable return to an old nightmare. During the 1990s and early 2000s, criminal networks sought to influence film financing, casting and distribution through threats and violence. The shooting of filmmaker Rakesh Roshan in 2000 and the murder of music magnate Gulshan Kumar in 1997 remain stark reminders of that period.


Shroff’s career, meanwhile, has entered a more complicated chapter. His appeal has always rested on the promise that physical limits can be overcome through discipline. Yet the shooting exposes the limits of that philosophy when confronted by organised violence. No amount of training can prepare a person for every danger beyond the screen.


The episode should not reduce Shroff to the role of a victim, nor should an unverified gang claim be treated as a settled verdict. He remains an actor whose career has been defined by physical ambition, commercial risk and the search for a distinctive place in Hindi cinema.


The irony, nevertheless, is difficult to miss. Tiger Shroff built a career by making danger look exhilarating, turning combat into spectacle and fear into entertainment. Now he faces a reminder that real violence offers no retakes, no stunt doubles and no choreographed escape. The bravest performance may simply be to return to ordinary life without allowing intimidation to dictate its terms.

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