Kirti Azad hails BCCI's decision to exclude Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer from central contracts

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently terminated the contracts of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in a bold step that has reportedly been taken to underline the consequence of ignoring domestic cricket. The retainers for the 2023-24 season were announced on Wednesday, with Kishan and Iyer absent from the list of centrally contracted players. Former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad, who was part of the 1983 World Cup triumph, has now come forward to support the board’s decision, referring to the importance of the Ranji Trophy.

It was reported that Kishan and Iyer were asked to participate in the red-ball tournament but the duo failed to make themselves available for their respective state teams. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah also referred to the topic in a press conference, clearing the fact that the board would not tolerate any kind of excuses in this regard. As per the regulations, Indian cricketers, who are not involved in international assignments, are mandated to feature in domestic red-ball competitions.

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Speaking about the directive, Azad told news agency PTI, “It is a very good move. Everybody should be playing Ranji Trophy cricket, but currently, the emphasis is on the IPL. It is good, and it is entertaining but the real cricket is the (five) days’ cricket. Playing in domestic cricket is good, it keeps you in touch.”

VIDEO | Here's what former cricketer Kirti Azad (@KirtiAzaad) said on #BCCI dropping Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from central contract.

"It's a good move. I think everybody should be playing domestic cricket, Ranji Trophy especially, because you come through the ranks and play… pic.twitter.com/wcndYPLl6o

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 29, 2024

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The former all-rounder feels the rule should also be applied to veteran cricketers like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have secured a Grade A+ contract this season. “Our calendar is such. It is very busy but whenever you are free, whether you are Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli or X, Y, Z - you should go back to the basics, and you must play for the state which allows you to play and perform and then be selected for the Indian side,” Azad explained.

Dragging Kishan and Iyer into the discussion, Azad said that it was not correct to penalise only these two as “everybody should be seen with the same mirror.” He dug out a reference to his playing days when seniors like “Bishan Singh Bedi, Madan Lal, Surinder Amarnath, Mohinder Amarnath, Chetan Chauhan, Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Karsan Ghavri played alongside youngsters like him and Ravi Shastri” in the Ranji Trophy.

Azad further spoke about Kishan and Iyer’s chance of making a return to the Indian squad. He reckons that can only happen if they stop prioritising T20 tournaments over Test cricket. “My question is, are they playing enough domestic cricket? They are playing T20 cricket, nowadays and every other state has a T20 cricket league,” Azad said.

Kishan is currently playing for the Reserve Bank of India team in the DY Patil T20 Cup, underway in Mumbai. On the other hand, Iyar is slated to feature in the Ranji Trophy semi-final for Mumbai, who will take on Tamil Nadu on Saturday.