According to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, the decision to exclude Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the list of centrally contracted players was purely made by the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, who asserted that “nobody is indispensable”.
Kishan and Iyer were pulled out after failing to attend domestic engagements despite a BCCI mandate. While Kishan took a long sabbatical after the ODI World Cup last year and was unavailable until the IPL, Iyer did play a few Ranji Trophy matches for Mumbai, including the semifinals and final.
However, Iyer found himself on the receiving end after it was revealed that he had attended a Kolkata Knight Riders camp in Mumbai while his home team was playing a Ranji Trophy match.
“You can review the constitution. “I am just the convener (of the selection meeting),” he said during a media briefing at the BCCI headquarters here on Thursday.
“That decision lies with Ajit Agarkar; even when these two players (Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer) did not play domestic cricket, the decision to remove them (from the central contracts list) was solely his.”
“My responsibility is only to implement. And we have new players (in place), such as Sanju (Samson). “Nobody is indispensable,” he said.
Shah underlined the Board’s position that Indian players must concentrate on domestic cricket.
In the days leading up to the contract snub, Shah stated before the third Test between India and England in February this year that he would fully support the chief selector’s decision to take action against players who do not meet the Indian captain and team management’s requirements for participation in domestic cricket.
Shah claimed he communicated with the players following their removal.
“Yes, I did speak with them. “The media had even carried the reports,” he continued.
“Even Hardik (Pandya) stated that if the BCCI considers me for white-ball cricket, I am willing to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. “Any player will be forced to play, even if they do not want to,” Shah added.
When asked about high scores in this year’s IPL, Shah stated that it all boils down to who is playing well and who can sustain performance.
“Whoever performs well in the IPL, such as Ishan Kishan, may struggle to play for the Indian team, but he can play for the Mumbai Indians. He can play in a more relaxed setting.
“In Team India, you must prove yourself and provide back-to-back performances. “The one who can handle that can be described as a good player,” he said.
Shah also gave specifics of his interaction with Kishan, which occurred after the Mumbai Indians’ match against the Gujarat Titans.
No, I did not give him any advice. It was only a nice reminder that he should do well, as I do with my players,” he explained.
While a few media rumors have cited a rise in match payments for domestic players in the country, Shah has denied that such a plan exists.
“We have already increased salary and incentivized Test cricket. “We increased the pay by 100% in 2022,” Shah continued.
