The Board of Control for Cricket in India has been in the news very recently for dropping Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the central contract list; the event triggered much debate within the cricket fraternity. After Iyer made himself unavailable for Mumbai’s all-important Ranji Trophy semi-final tie because of a back spasm and Kishan opted out of playing the entire domestic red-ball season, the board took this decision.

The move did not go down well with officials in the BCCI, especially chief selector Ajit Agarkar. The board was not at all pleased and sent an equally strong message. BCCI secretary Jay Shah, known for taking a tough line on player indiscipline and commitment, is on record to have declared that omitting Iyer and Kishan from the central contract was indeed a conscious decision.

As Jay  Shah explains, this harsh decision was needed to send an aggressive message to the players that participation in domestic cricket is not optional, particularly when it comes to red-ball cricket, which is considered very important for development and maintenance of form in the longer format.

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Shah said it was not penalizing but motivating them to come back to the domestic circuit. Both Iyer and Kishan have now signed up for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, commencing on September 5, 2024. The move can be directly related to the hard stance taken by the BCCI, which immediately brings these players back into the fold of red-ball cricket—a prerequisite for holding on to places in the national team.

Jay Shah’s Straight Talk On Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan.

He said, “If you look Duleep Trophy squad, apart from Rohit and Virat rest are going to play. It’s because of the harsh steps I have taken, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are playing Duleep Trophy. It’s certain now, whoever… pic.twitter.com/2gk6gvisHS

— Cricket Chamber (@cricketchamber) August 17, 2024

He went on to elucidate further on the stand taken by the board. Shah reiterated that any player who suffers an injury and then loses out on his Test berth will have to prove himself fit and in form at the domestic level before earning a national call-up. He cited the case of Ravindra Jadeja, who despite being one of India’s top cricketers and the only A+ graded player, still participated in the Duleep Trophy after recovering from an injury. This sets a precedent for all players, said Shah, underlining domestic cricket as a proving ground for fitness and form.

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In contrast, star players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been kept out of the Duleep Trophy. Shah explained that it was a workload management decision. With India slated to play two high-profile series against Australia and England in the next year, the selectors are keen to avoid any unnecessary risks of injury to these key players. Shah said that even in the top cricketing nations like England and Australia, marquee players are rested from domestic matches to keep them fresh and ready for their international commitments.

“Does it make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s workload by asking them to play domestic cricket? They stand a chance of getting injured. You also need to look at England and Australia. Not a single one of their top players play domestic cricket. We must treat our players respectfully and treat them not like servants,” Jay Shah concluded while underlining the board’s balanced approach in managing the players.