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India's head coach Rahul Dravid clarified that the team management played no role in Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer being dropped from their central contracts as the BCCI unveiled its annual central contracts for the 2023-24 season in February. Dravid emphasised that everyone remains in the selection frame and encouraged the omitted players to prove their worth and win back the selectors' trust.
Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer out of central contract
The exclusion of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the BCCI's central contract list for the senior men's team was a decision that surprised many. It appeared that both players had not adhered to the BCCI high command's instructions, including those from secretary Jay Shah, regarding participation in domestic cricket.
Ishan Kishan has been absent from top-tier competitive cricket since withdrawing from a Test series in South Africa in December-January. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer was not part of the final three Tests in the recently finished 5-Test series against England. It was revealed that Iyer opted out of playing the Ranji Trophy quarter-final for Mumbai due to back injury concerns. Nevertheless, after being assessed by the National Cricket Academy's medical team and declared fit, he was subsequently overlooked for selection in the Test cricket team.
I don't decide contracts: Rahul Dravid
"I don't decide contracts or discuss that. I don't even know what the criteria is. Both are in the mix and hope they play cricket, stay fit and force the selectors to pick them. No one is out of contention, players without contracts have also played," Dravid said after India's emphatic victory over England in the fifth Test.
"Rohit and I select playing 11. Sometimes even I don't know who is contracted and who is not. No one is out of the mix," he added.
In agreement with Shardul Thakur's viewpoint on needing longer breaks between Ranji Trophy matches, head coach Rahul Dravid highlighted the necessity of assisting players in handling their workloads while playing for their state teams. This current Ranji Trophy season experienced breaks of no more than three days between matches, leading to concerns from players about the tight schedule, especially given the demanding travel requirements between games.
"We need to hear the players. They are the ones putting bodies on the line. If they are saying, we need to see how to manage domestic schedule better," he further added.
Dravid's perspective follows Shardul's request for extended intervals between Ranji Trophy games, a suggestion he made following his significant contribution to Mumbai's victory over Tamil Nadu in the semi-finals earlier this month. Shardul will be participating in Mumbai as the local team faces off against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final slated to start from March 10.
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