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Former selector and Indian cricketer Saba Karim has expressed his opinion on the likely demotions of veteran Indian cricketers like Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar from their current existing contract due to their inconsistent performance in the last two year.
The pair of Rahane and Pujara brought a lot of experience to the table but their numbers last year indicate towards a batting transition in Test cricket.
Saba's words
“This [Contract system] does two things from the BCCI’s side. You are promoted as an appreciation if you have done well last year or you are demoted if the selectors feel you have not performed. If we keep these criteria, it’s clear their performance has not been good last year,” Saba Karim was quoted while talking to India News during an interaction.
The former selector further said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have not totally sidelined these players and might be looked at as options in the coming year. Karim expects all these cricketers to be given Grade C contracts.
“The expectations from them have gone down slightly and that is why we are talking about this demotion. But I feel this is also a silver lining for these players. If they are in Grade C, it means the selectors might still think about them in the coming year. It’s not that they have been totally sidelined.”
Several reports
There are reports about the seasoned Test pair of Rahane and Pujara getting demoted when the BCCI releases a fresh list of contracted players for the upcoming season. Similarly, pacer Ishant Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who have both struggled due to injuries and lack of form, could feature in group B. The BCCI has four categories (A+, A, B and C) that carry annual retainership of Rs 7 crore, Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.
Saba Karim further mentioned that the Men in Blue missed all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s services in the series against South Africa.
The all-rounder has not yet fully recovered and because of it he was not included in the ODI and T20I squads for the West Indies series. Karim also went on to say that Jadeja should be given an A+ contract for his all-round performance across all three formats.
“I feel A+ is a very exclusive club. Here I feel we are missing one player, that is Jadeja. He is a player who plays all three formats, he gives match-winning contributions and he has huge importance,” the 54-year-old former India wicketkeeper explained.
