Former India bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan recently commented on the BCCI’s decision to cancel the contracts of prominent players such as Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. It was purportedly done because the duo did not participate in the Ranji Trophy games while off national service.
While announcing the list of contracted players for the 2023-24 season, the BCCI announced that Ishan and Shreyas were not considered for contracts this time. In its formal statement, the board asked all players to compete in home events when not on national service.
Irfan Pathan took note of the news and conveyed his best wishes to Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, hoping that they would endure this phase and emerge stronger. Pathan also advised that the BCCI develop tactics for players like Hardik Pandya, who exclusively play white-ball cricket, to provide fair and equitable treatment for all cricketers. On his X account, Irfan Pathan wrote:
“They are talented cricketers, both Shreyas and Ishan. Hoping they bounce back and come back stronger. If players like Hardik don’t want to play red ball cricket, should he and others like him participate in white-ball domestic cricket when they aren’t on national duty? If this doesn’t apply to all, then Indian cricket won’t achieve the desired results!”
Irfan Pathan
Aakash Chopra feels BCCI took disciplinary action on Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer by omitting them from central contract lists
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer suffered the repercussions of not following the BCCI’s directives to play domestic cricket. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed his thoughts on the subject, saying:
“It has been communicated by both Jay Shah and Rohit Sharma that you need to play domestic cricket and that if you are not serious about it, there will be consequences. No one directly says what the consequences are, but these are the first signals about BCCI stating, ‘we don’t think you are serious, so your names have been removed.”
Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator continued, saying:
“Let’s be fair – Shreyas Iyer had scored 500 runs in the World Cup. His name not being there indicates that it’s a disciplinary rap on the knuckles. Don’t quote me on this, but it seems like that. The same thing can be said about Ishan Kishan.”
Aakash Chopra