Former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra today said that Indian team's prominent players should participate in the domestic tournaments to encourage budding cricketers. “Prominent national team players must participate in the domestic tournaments so that the budding cricketers get the opportunity to pick up tips from them,” Chopra told the reporters at the Agartala Press Club, who was here to attend a Quiz Completion on World Cup-2011, organised by 'Daily Desher Katha'. Chopra said that the BCCI should formulate guidelines to bring the national players to domestic tournaments. Lauding the role of the National Cricket Academy and regional cricket academies in developing cricket, Chopra said there is no dearth of good quality spinners at the national level.

“Everybody wants to be like Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Shewag or Rahul Dravid as cricket has become a batsman-centric game. Very few cricketers want to become a Harbhajan Singh,” he pointed out. Observing cricket has virtually touched the hearts of millions after India won the ICC World Cup, Chopra said the present current team would go a long way under the leadership of M S Dhoni.

Stating that the local players of Tripura need more exposure, Chopra who played a lone Test, said, “While a Tripura player gets an opportunity to play in maximum of three to four Ranji Trophy matches, cricketers from other states get at least six to eight matches in a calendar year.”