Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer Involved in India’s Recent Plans Despite Exclusion from BCCI Contracts
The recent release of the BCCI annual contract list has drawn attention to Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. Despite their involvement in India’s recent plans, they were excluded from the contracts, reportedly due to their reluctance to participate in domestic cricket.
Although the BCCI didn’t officially state the reason for dropping Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, a line in their release strongly suggests the rationale. “The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team,” the BCCI stated.
When Ishan Kishan departed from India’s Tour of South Africa, the BCCI issued a statement on December 17th: “Mr Ishan Kishan has requested the BCCI to be released from the upcoming Test series against South Africa citing personal reasons. The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad.”
Despite expectations for Ishan Kishan to participate in domestic cricket during his time away from the national team, he chose to remain absent from his state team Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy matches. This decision contradicted Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid’s clear instruction that Kishan needed to play some form of cricket to regain his place in the Indian squad.
Shreyas Iyer also opted out of a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai citing injury. However, according to a report in the Indian Express, the NCA’s report on his injury was contradictory.
As per reports, Ishan Kishan was reportedly contacted by the Indian cricket team management during the ongoing India vs England Test series. The reports further claimed that Kishan responded stating that he was not ready yet. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel seized the opportunity and went on to win the Player of the Match award.
