Sports

Ravi Shastri Encourages Iyer and Kishan to ‘Dig Deep, Face Challenges’ Amidst Annual Contract Setback

On Wednesday, the BCCI terminated the yearly retainer of two outstanding Indian players, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. This step was likely intended as a reminder to other players not to take domestic cricket lightly. The period of this retainership is 2023–2024. Three players were moved up to Grade A from Grade B on the BCCI’s roster of centrally contracted players: Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul. A B was handed to Rishabh Pant while he was undergoing rehabilitation. Iyer played in Grade B and Ishan in Grade C during the previous season, although neither is included among the players on the most recent roster. A BCCI press release stated, “Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations.” The most recent event follows BCCI Secretary Jay Shah’s threat of severe punishment for Indian players who skip domestic cricket matches while serving on international duty. Iyer was included in the India team for the first two Test matches of the current five-match series against England before being left out. Iyer was not included in Mumbai’s quarterfinal encounter against Baroda because, according to media sources, he complained of back spasms after the second Test.

On the other side, Ishan returned to competitive action on Tuesday in the Mumbai-based DY Patil T20 Cup. November 2023 marked Ishan’s last international cricket match. He also refrained from participating in Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy campaign, opting to focus on his fitness in Baroda instead. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri shared his condolences for the pair after the BCCI released the list, wishing them well in their recovery. “The essence of cricket is defined by comebacks. @ShreyasIyer15 and @ishankishan51, chill out! Go deep, take on obstacles, and emerge even more resilient. Your prior successes speak for themselves, and I’m sure you’ll triumph once more,” Shastri wrote on X (previously Twitter). The BCCI selection committee approved contracts for fast bowlers Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa.

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“Many thanks to @BCCI and @JayShah for the ground-breaking ‘fast bowling’ contracts. This is an essential stage in preparation for the Australian leg of the year. The emphasis on domestic and test cricket makes a powerful message and lays the groundwork for our beloved sport’s future. Shastri stated this in an additional post. Furthermore, when not playing for India, BCCI has advised all of its centrally contracted players to take part in domestic cricket.

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