Explained: Why Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan will join Grade C category of BCCI’s central contracts if they play Dharamsala Test
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday, February 28 announced the central contracts for the 2023-2024 season, valid for the period October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. As was being widely reported, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer and keeper-batter Ishan Kishan have not been given a contract.
While confirming the new central contracts, the BCCI stated through a press release that ‘Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for annual contracts in this round of recommendations’.
A note at the end of the official statement hinted at why the two were ignored despite having played quite a number of games for India recently.
“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 press release said.
Interestingly, the official statement also explained that Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan have a chance of being inducted into the Grade C category of the BCCI central contracts list if they feature in the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala, which begins on March 7. The BCCI release mentioned:
“Additionally, athletes who meet the criteria of playing a minimum of 3 Tests or 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis. For instance, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan, having played 2 Test matches so far, will be inducted into Grade C if they participate in the Dharamsala Test Match, i.e., the 5th Test of the ongoing series against England.”
Both Jurel and Sarfaraz made their Test debuts in the third Test against England in Rajkot and were retained for the fourth Test of the series in Ranchi, which India won by five wickets to clinch the series 3-1.
Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan make impressive starts to Test career
Jurel and Sarfaraz have made a significant impact in their debut Test series. Coming in as a replacement for KS Bharat, Jurel has been excellent behind the stumps.
With the bat as well, Jurel has made a huge impact. After scoring a resilient 46 in the first innings in Rajkot, he contributed 90 and 39* in Ranchi to be named Player of the Match.
Sarfaraz was dismissed for 14 and 0 in Ranchi, but he smashed aggressive fifties in both innings on Test debut in Rajkot. He was run out for 62 off 66 in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 68 off 72 in the second.