Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have decided to skip the 2024 Suleep Trophy domestic season. The two veteran cricketers played the T20 World Cup followed by the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Now, with the domestic season starting next month, Kohli and Rohit have decided to skip the season and return to the home Test season starting with the Test series against Bangladesh from September 19 in Chennai.

Several Indian cricketers like Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad are participating in the tournament.

Speaking to Sports Tak, Raina said that Kohli and Rohit should have played in the tournament but as experienced players they know what to do and taking time for family is also important.

However, he also stressed that playing this domestic tournament would have helped them in their preparation for the local season.

Also Read: Australian legend reminds Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma of their old age ahead of India visit

They should have played: Suresh Raina on Virat Kohli’s withdrawal from Rohit Sharma’s Duleep Trophy 2024

“They should have played. We haven’t played red-ball cricket after the IPL. If you want to be involved in a big series, you have to play red-ball cricket. I think everyone is mature enough and they know how they should practice once they regroup. Sometimes, family time is very important.”

Talking about Rohit and Virat Kohli, both of them are crucial to India’s success in Australia. They are the two most senior batsmen in the team as the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are no longer part of the Test squad.

Both were crucial members of India’s last tour to Australia. India won the Test series under Rahane after Virat Kohli had to return home after the first Test due to the birth of his daughter.

Both will be very crucial for India in the upcoming series and will need to bat very well.

He went on to talk about MS Dhoni and his future in the IPL. He said that he would like to see Dhoni play in the IPL 2025. There is talk of MS Dhoni returning to the IOPL as a non-cap player.

The BCCI is also looking into the possibility of tweaking the IPL rules and bringing back a rule that was banned in the 2021 season for the return of MS Dhoni.

“I want MS Dhoni to play in IPL 2025, considering the way he batted last year. I feel Ruturaj Gaikwad needs one more year, the way he captained, and a lot of things were said after the loss to RCB. However, Ruturaj has done a great job and has led the team very well and has batted well as well,” Raina said.

Fans expected Dhoni to bat higher up, so in most of the matches he played, he batted at number seven or eight. He scored 161 runs off 73 balls and his strike rate was close to 200.

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni’s participation in IPL 2025 is still up for grabs as he said that he will reveal his decision depending on the retention rules of the mega auction.

The BCCI has said it will announce the new rules by the end of August 2024 after the meeting held between IPL team owners and the BCCI on July 31.

Also read: Australia will beat India to win Border-Gavaskar series, predicts former legend