"That decision lies with Ajit Agarkar" - BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from the central contract listÂ
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah stated that the decision to drop Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the annual central contract list was made by the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar. The pair of batters were not considered by the BCCI over their refusal to play in the domestic circuit despite repeated warnings.
Ishan deviated from Team India's plans after he left midway through the tour of South Africa for a mental break. Head coach Rahul Dravid had explicitly stated that Kishan needs to play domestic cricket before he can be considered for selection. However, the wicketkeeper-batter chose not to play for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy and instead began training with the Pandya brothers.
The Men in Blue chose to bring in Dhruv Jurel with Kishan being out of the picture. The newcomer took the opportunity with both hands and with Rishabh Pant also apparently match fit for red-ball cricket, it will take some effort for Ishan Kishan to be back in whites.
As far as Shreyas Iyer is concerned, he cited injury issues to opt out of Ranji Trophy matches. However, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) physios asserted that Iyer is match fit. The right-handed batter joining KKR's pre-season camp turned out to be the final straw.
"You can check the constitution. I am just a convener (of the selection meeting). That decision lies with Ajit Agarkar, even when these two players (Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer) who did not play domestic (cricket), the decision to drop them (from the central contracts list) was only his. Yes, I had spoken with them. Media had even carried the reports," Jay Shah said of the controversial decision during a media meet in Mumbai.
"My role is just to implement. And we have got new players (in place), like Sanju (Samson). Nobody is indispensable. Even Hardik (Pandya) said if BCCI is considering me for white-ball, then I am ready to play Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Any player will have to play, even if they do not want to, they will have to," he added.
Hardik Pandya has not played for Team India since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he sustained an injury. But, he has found a place in the central contract as well as in Team India's squad for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.
"In Team India, you have to prove yourself, give back-to-back performances" - Jay Shah
Jay Shah also spoke about the differences between playing for an IPL franchise and playing for Team India, specifically how competitive things are for the same spot.
"Whoever plays well in the IPL... like say Ishan Kishan, he finds it difficult to take part with the Indian team but he can play in Mumbai Indians as a player. There he can play in a relaxed manner. In Team India, you have to prove yourself, give back-to-back performances. The one who can handle that can be described as a right player," Jay Shah continued
Shah was spotted having a chat with Ishan Kishan when the Mumbai Indians (MI) faced the Gujarat Titans (GT) on the opening weekend of the 2024 IPL
"No, I did not advise him anything. It was just a friendly talk that he should do well and I speak with all players like that," he concluded
Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, who have had decent campaigns with the bat in the ongoing tournament, were not considered for Team India's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.