3 reasons why Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from the BCCI central contracts list is the wrong move
The BCCI announced their central contracts list for the 2023-24 season yesterday, and it came with a couple of surprises. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, who have played a massive role for Team India across formats over the last few years, were left out of the list.
The statement read:
"Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations."
Unfortunately, there was no elaboration on that front from the board. And in the absence of a press conference, many people have been left to draw their own conclusions regarding the reason behind the duo's absence on the list.
BCCI Central Contracts List:
Grade A+: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.
Grade A: R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya.
Grade B: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Rajat Patidar.
The decision has shocked most parties involved, and speculation is rife regarding the potential reasons behind the same. However, irrespective of any possible rationale, it didn't make much sense for the two players to be overlooked.
Here are three reasons why Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan's exclusion from the BCCI central contracts list is the wrong move.
#3 There is a complete lack of transparency
As mentioned earlier, the BCCI hasn't elaborated on why Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have been excluded. While the former has been active in international cricket in recent times, even playing in the ongoing India vs England Test series, the latter has been on a break.
Kishan has reportedly cited mental health reasons for the break, but there has been no official confirmation. Head coach Rahul Dravid briefly touched upon the issue at a press conference, saying that the keeper-batter hadn't made himself available for selection.
Why haven't any of the parties involved come up with proper explanations? Why is there no press conference conducted by the BCCI? Why wasn't the reasoning mentioned in the initial press release?
Had they been clear with their reasoning instead of keeping people in the dark, it would've been more acceptable to remove Shreyas and Kishan from the contracts list. Now, however, they have created a maelstrom of negative speculation and doubt, and it's all the more wrong.
#2 The move could push players into an all-format obsession despite form and fitness
Reportedly, one of the factors behind Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan's exclusion was their absence from the Ranji Trophy 2024. The former is all set to feature for Mumbai in the semi-final against Tamil Nadu, but the latter hasn't been seen in action in red-ball cricket.
Shreyas has been dealing with a back issue for a while now, and he has spent a long time on the sidelines as a result of his fitness struggles. He even suffered from back pain, which he underwent surgery for ahead of the 2023 World Cup, during the India vs England Tests. Kishan, meanwhile, has never been an established red-ball player and has primarily taken part in limited-overs cricket.
The Pakistan Cricket Board set a terrible precedent by terminating Haris Rauf's central contract after he pulled out of the Australia Test tour. The BCCI seem to following in that route, forcing all players to play all three formats irrespective of form and fitness.
#1 Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have been an integral part of the Indian team and have performed well too
Shreyas Iyer had an excellent World Cup campaign, tallying 530 runs in 11 innings at an average of 66.25 and a strike rate of 113.24. He smashed a match-winning century in the semifinal against New Zealand as the Men in Blue fell in the summit clash. The 29-year-old has also played in the other two formats regularly.
Ishan Kishan didn't feature as prominently in the World Cup, but he has been an integral part the side across formats. The southpaw has played most T20Is in the timeframe of the central contract and has even made his Test debut in Rishabh Pant's absence.
Both players have done well for the Indian team, and their performances have merited rewards. It is almost disrespectful to not offer them central contracts, even if they have seemingly done something wrong in the eyes of the board. Picking them in squads is another thing altogether, but they should at least be contracted.