“What is the priority? India or franchise cricket?” – Ravi Shastri’s blunt message to BCCI after Team India's horror show during 1st inns in WTC final

Ravi Shastri has taken a dig at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after Team India’s top-order and bowling unit failed to deliver against Australia in the first innings of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The former Indian cricketer asked the cricket board to set their priorities and introduce a clause in Indian Premier League (IPL) for the larger interest of Team India.

The statement comes after India leaked 469 runs against Australia and then finished Day 2 with the scorecard reading 151/5. The top order comprising Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, who played the entire IPL, failed to live up to expectations.

Speaking to Star Sports, Shastri said:

“You must set your priorities, right? What is the priority? India or franchise cricket? You have to decide that. If you say franchise cricket, then forget this (WTC final). If this is important, then as the custodian of the sport, the BCCI are the bosses."

"There should be a clause in the IPL contract that if they need a player out of the IPL in the interest of India, they have the right to do it.”

The cricketer-turned-commentator continued:

“First, put the clause and then ask the franchises to decide how much they want to invest. That is very important. You are the custodian of the sport. You control cricket in the country.”

---

Team India stars Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill fail to carry IPL form into the WTC final

Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill failed to live up to expectations for Team India in the all-important WTC final. The duo departed cheaply, scoring 14 and 13, respectively. This came even though the two top-order batters smashed two and three centuries, respectively, in the recently concluded IPL 2023.

Rohit Sharma, who had an underwhelming IPL season with the bat, also failed to step up for Team India. The right-handed batter scored just 15 runs in the first innings of the ultimate Test.

Earlier on Day 1, India looked out of sorts as Australia finished Day 1 at 327/3. The bowling unit, however, bounced back to bundle out Australia for 469. Mohammed Siraj emerged as the pick of the bowlers but leaked 108 runs. Mohammed Shami also picked up two wickets but conceded 122. This came, the duo finished with 19 and 28 wickets in IPL 2023.

Click here to follow the WTC 2023 final scores.