Indian players having a go in a completely different format while one of the most awaited ICC tournament is just a few days away- sounds familiar doesn't it? Well, no surprises, this has been the case with the BCCI and its key players from the past few years and the history is once again repeating itself in front of our eyes as we approach the ICC Champions Trophy. Ranji- mandatory for all After India had a poor outing in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI set some stricter guidelines for the players which also included making it mandatory for them to feature in the Ranji Trophy. But here the question arises... was it really necessary now? Let us have a look at it and try to make what we can with the given information. India's next test series is against England and it begins on 20th June. Yes you read it correctly, India will now play an international match with the red ball after a huge gap of five months. Meanwhile the ICC Champions Trophy kicks off in the next 20-25 days, leaving a very less time for the players to switch between the formats. Wouldn't it have been better to give the side a break form the longer format after a lengthy and unsuccessful test season and let them reset for the upcoming mega event. Ofcourse it would have! View this post on Instagram A post shared by CricketGully (@cricketgullyofficial) Benefit of playing Ranji right now? It is really difficult to understand the thought process of the BCCI officials behind this move. Yes, the players, especially batters performed poorly in the BGT but what is the point of playing domestic matches with the red ball currently? As we saw, most of the Indian star batters failed to perform in this round of Ranji, therefore hampering there confidence even more. There would be literally no advantage even if the players regained their form in the longest format right now as the next test series is almost half a year away. Current England series We have an ICC ODI tournament coming up in just a few weeks time and we have just played 3 ODIs in the entire 2024. Leaving that behind, currently as well, we have an ongoing series of 5 T20Is and then 3 ODIs against England. It could have been so much better to play 5 ODIs and vice-versa with the T20Is. Not only the team would get more time and practice together, they would have also been playing the right format according to the time and situation. Also read: Irfan Pathan Backs Kohli, Rohit to Bounce Back in ODI Cricket Not the first time It's definitely not the first time that the BCCI and its scheduling has found the Indian players playing the wrong format just days before a massive ICC tournament. India made it to the finals of the World Test Championship both the times in the past but had to receive alot of criticism for playing the IPL non-stop for the last couple of months before that and then the tournament barely concluding a week before the final. Well, we all know how one-sided India lost both the finals and seemed to be completely outplayed in the tough batting conditions. This is what happens when you prioritise the wrong format at that particular time. It doesn't seem as if the board has learnt from its previous mistakes. It would have been so much more sensible and practical to let the players rest from the longest format and give them some ODIs to get into the right groove. Let's hope the players don't mind the difference of formats and come good into the much anticipated mega event in Dubai.