Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra believes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken the right call in asking centrally contracted players to play first-class cricket as well. He said that such a decision should have been taken much earlier. Notably, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has reportedly asked all the contracted players to ply their trade in domestic cricket if they wish to represent the national team as well. He has also expressed concern over players prioritizing the Indian Premier League (IPL) over domestic cricket as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “BCCI have said that if they have given you a central contract, then if you are not injured, play cricket because they will select you from there only, or else it’s not going to happen. In my opinion, step in the right direction. This should have been done earlier itself. Don’t be surprised, especially the young players, if they are not injured and are still skipping first-class cricket, remember that BCCI have also talked about the consequences of that on the IPL contract. Things have changed and for the good.”

However, Aakash Chopra said that many cricketers had started feeling they could play for India if they did well in the IPL. He also shared that a few players have also been picked for Tests and directly for the World Cup based on their performances in the prestigious league as well.

“Players have stopped playing for the last little while. They say they are injured or have a niggle, so the BCCI said that it’s enough. The penny has to drop. A line in the sand will be drawn somewhere and that has happened. I feel the new selection committee would have definitely communicated to the BCCI, questioning what is happening. It’s not restricted to people who have central contracts but players who don’t have central contracts but have good IPL contracts are also not playing, and there is no injury concern,” Aakash Chopra concluded.