"If this doesn’t apply to all, then Indian cricket won’t achieve the desired results!"- Irfan Pathan on BCCI terminating contracts of Kishan and Iyer
Former India bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan recently analyzed the BCCI's decision to terminate the contracts of star players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. It was reportedly done due to the duo's non-participation in the Ranji Trophy games while being free from national duty.
While announcing the list of contracted players for the 2023-24 season, BCCI revealed that Ishan and Shreyas were not considered for the contracts this time. The board also urged all the players to participate in the domestic tournaments, when not on national duty, in their official statement.
Irfan Pathan took note of the development and sent good wishes to Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, hoping that they would overcome this phase and come back stronger. Pathan also suggested that BCCI should devise strategies for players like Hardik Pandya, who only concentrate on white-ball cricket, to ensure fairness and equal treatment for all cricketers. On his X handle, Irfan Pathan wrote:
"They are talented cricketers, both Shreyas and Ishan. Hoping they bounce back and come back stronger. If players like Hardik don’t want to play red ball cricket, should he and others like him participate in white-ball domestic cricket when they aren’t on national duty? If this doesn’t apply to all, then Indian cricket won’t achieve the desired results!"
Aakash Chopra feels BCCI took disciplinary action on Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer by omitting them from central contract lists
Former India opener Aakash Chopra opined that Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer faced the consequences for not abiding by BCCI's instructions to play domestic cricket. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Chopra gave his views on the matter, saying:
“It has been communicated by both Jay Shah and Rohit Sharma that you need to play domestic cricket and that if you are not serious about it, there will be consequences. No one directly says what the consequences are, but these are the first signals about BCCI stating, ‘we don’t think you are serious, so your names have been removed."
The cricketer-turned-commentator continued, saying:
“Let’s be fair - Shreyas Iyer had scored 500 runs in the World Cup. His name not being there indicates that it’s a disciplinary rap on the knuckles. Don’t quote me on this, but it seems like that. The same thing can be said about Ishan Kishan."
Do you think BCCI made the right decision? Let us know your opinions and suggestions on the matter in the comments section below.