Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who is unlikely to gatekeep words, has now blasted on Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s injury excuses as “child’s play,’ for skipping the first round of Ranji Trophy matches in the second leg of the tournament, which took place on January 26. Both had returned from a frustrating and heavy Border Gavaskar Trophy and suffered from batting falters. Virat Kohli had informed the BCCI medical staff that he took an injection 8 days after the final Test at BCG as he was suffering from neck stiffness. On the other hand, KL Rahul informed that he is suffering from an uncomfortable elbow. For this, both had made themselves unavailable for the match on January 23. The Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj too made himself unavailable on January 23; however, the reason was not confirmed. Speaking about that to Sportstar, Gavaskar felt that it is quite fishy for players to not report to the NCA but wait for BCCI experts to declare them fit. He said, "It would be interesting to see if KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, and Virat Kohli, who didn’t play in last week’s round of Ranji Trophy matches, will play the next round. More interesting would be what action the BCCI takes if they don’t play. Were they injured? Getting a medical certificate for an ‘injury’ is child’s play, and if they are injured, did they go to the NCA for treatment and recovery, as Nitish Reddy was sent the moment he had that side strain? Isn’t that the practice for the BCCI-contracted players, that as soon as there’s an injury, they have to report to the NCA, and only after the BCCI experts there certify them as fit can they resume playing for India? For all we know, these players might have opted out of the earlier games for non-injury reasons. We shall soon find out.” Read also: Watch: Sanju Samson Stunning Buttler with a Spectacular Catch BCCI mandates after BCCI The Board of Cricket Council of India has reportedly issued 10 "diktats," one of which has made Ranji Trophy participation mandatory for all Test cricket players. And in any case, if a player gets injured, he has to show relevant medical proof to get rest. Unlike Kohli, Rahul, and Siraj, players like Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravindra Jadeja played for their respective teams on January 23. As per reports, Jadeja and Pant will continue to represent their team, while the rest have been released as they have to join the Indian team for preparations for the 3-match ODI series against England, starting on February 6. Notably, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Siraj are set to participate in the upcoming round of Ranji Trophy matches, scheduled to begin on January 30. Kohli is making a return to India’s premier first-class tournament after more than a decade, representing Delhi in their clash against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. KL Rahul will turn out for Karnataka as they face Haryana at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj will feature for Hyderabad in their game against Vidarbha in Nagpur.