Indian head coach Rahul Dravid gave a massive statement regarding the future of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan in the Indian team after the fifth Test against England. He said that he does not decide the contracts but that the doors are not closed so that no one returns.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were the two players who were left without contracts with the BCCI for the upcoming season. The two teams were the mainstay of India’s batting line-up, but refusing to play domestic cricket was a career-changing moment.
Shreyas Iyer was part of the Indian team for the first two Tests against England and then was left out of the team for the last three matches. The batsman was then asked by the BCCI to play in the Ranji Trophy, however, he claimed that he had back pain and would not participate.
Then, an NCA report revealed that Shreyas Iyer has no medical issues and the batsman was reportedly seen attending Kolkata Knight Riders’ pre-season camp ahead of the IPL. This did not go well with the BCCI as he was released from the national contract.
On the other hand, Ishan Kishan withdrew from the Test series against South Africa in December due to mental fatigue. However, during that time he was seen partying and attending television shows. The team management asked the wicketkeeper-batsman to play in the Ranji Trophy.
But he did not play and was instead seen training with the Pandya brothers for the IPL. This also did not sit well with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they did not offer him the contract.
Rahul Dravid was asked about the future of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer and he replied that both batsmen are in the mix. He added that both players need to stay fit and force the selectors to pick them. Speaking to reporters, he explained:
“I don’t decide the contracts or discuss that. I don’t even know what the criteria is. Both are in the mix and hope to play cricket, stay fit and force the selectors to pick them. Nobody is out of contention, players without contracts have also played.”
Sometimes even I don’t know who is hired and who is not – Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid further added that he, along with captain Rohit Sharma, selects the 11 players and does not look at who is signed and who is not. While he emphasized that all players are in the mix, he stated that they need to see how players handle their bodies. He added:
“Rohit and I choose to play as 11. Sometimes even I don’t know who is signed and who is not. No one is out of the mix. We need to listen to the players. They are the ones who put bodies on the line. If they say so, we have to see how to better manage the national agenda.”
India won the test series against England by a margin of 4-1. All the players will now be seen in action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The league will be played from March 22.