The BCCI made waves yesterday when they announced the central contracts list for the 2023-24 season. Notable absentees were Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.
The BCCI has recently signed contracts with 11 fresh players, but seven individuals from the previous roster did not qualify this time. Of the new 11, few could be considered a bit lucky to maintain their employment on the board at this stature.
Fascinatingly, there’s a set of standards to be considered for the roster, as noted in the board’s formal announcement:
“Additionally, athletes who meet the criteria of playing a minimum of 3 Tests or 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis. For instance, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan, having played 2 Test matches so far, will be inducted into Grade C if they participate in the Dharamsala Test Match, i.e., the 5th Test of the ongoing series against England.”
A handful have narrowly passed the qualifying criterion, while others have easily met it but may not be in the Indian picture when the BCCI contract time expires in September 2024.
Here are three Indian players that were fortunate to receive a central contract from the BCCI for the 2023-24 season.
3. Mukesh Kumar
Mukesh Kumar has played three Tests, six ODIs, and 14 T20Is since July 2023, meeting the criteria for a BCCI central contract. However, it is possible that he may be dropped from all three forms soon, and his future with the Indian squad is uncertain.
In the realm of cricket, Mukesh has bagged seven wickets in Test cricket, five in ODIs, and 12 in T20Is. His performances across these three formats, however, have failed to impress. It appears that international cricket may be a niche too vast for him. Given that he’s a fast bowler at the age of 30, he might not be considered for the squad for much longer.
Mukesh can consider himself fortunate to be on the central contracts list, and unless he performs really well, he may not be considered for the next season.
2. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar just played his third Test for India at Ranchi, earning himself a Grade C BCCI contract. However, his performances in the longer format have been terrible, and he is expected to be dropped from the Dharamsala Test XI.
Patidar has scored just 63 runs in six Test innings, at an average of 10.5. In his one ODI against South Africa, he scored 22 runs. The 30-year-old has yet to play in the shortest format for his country and has not even been considered for a spot in the squad ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Patidar may not have deserved a core contract because he is unlikely to be involved in future events. Things may have turned out quite differently if he hadn’t qualified for the position through his appearance in Ranchi.
3. KS Bharat
KS Bharat has only played one format for India. He played in seven Tests, scoring 221 runs at an average of 20.09. The keeper-batsman has never scored more than 50 runs in international cricket.
Bharat’s future at the highest level is uncertain after losing his spot to Dhruv Jurel. If Rishabh Pant recovers, Pant and Jurel will be the team’s two keepers going forward, with KL Rahul also in the mix.
Furthermore, KS Bharat has little prospect of being capped in white-ball cricket anytime soon. He may have already played his final game for India, and his inclusion in the BCCI contracts seems unlikely for the foreseeable future.
