The discussion around Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan losing the BCCI central contract continues as experts keep expressing their opinions on the same. The Indian cricket board rolled out its central contract earlier this week, omitting the duo of Iyer and Kishan. Though the board didn’t specify the reason behind their exclusion, multiple reports have claimed that the cricketers are playing price for refusing to domestic cricket despite being fit.
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Former India pacer and 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal has lauded BCCI’s move to prioritize domestic cricket. Speaking with The Times of India, Lal opined that playing domestic cricket should be made compulsory, especially for those who prioritise IPL over First Class matches.
“If the BCCI told them to play first-class cricket, they should have gone and played. No one is bigger than the game. The BCCI should be given the credit as they are making it mandatory to play first-class cricket. Most of the players nowadays are taking First-class cricket for granted because of the IPL. Definitely, the BCCI made a rule that every player should go and play First-class cricket. So if you don’t follow the rules, then they have to take some action and set an example for others,” Lal told Times of India.
The 72-year-old asserted that if a player is declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA), he must not skip domestic games.
“They have to play (first-class cricket) if they are fit. The main thing is fitness. If they are fit, then they can play the first-class season. But a good season in IPL can always be beneficial, and there is no doubt about their class. They have done so well here and there. But it is the BCCI making sure that the boys are disciplined,” he added.
The curious cases of Iyer and Kishan
Iyer turned up for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy fixture against Andhra before playing the first two Tests against England. However, he was dropped for the last three games. It was also learned that he complained of a back spasm and moved to the NCA. Despite being cleared by the NCA medical team, he didn’t make himself available either for the remaining England Tests or the Ranji Trophy group stage. Meanwhile, he was spotted in Kolkata Knight Rider’s pre-season camp which reportedly upset the selectors.
On the other hand, Kishan made himself unavailable for the South Africa Tests citing mental fatigue. He has returned to action in the ongoing DY Patil T20 cup in Mumbai and before that, he was supposedly training with his Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda.
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