Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have been excluded from BCCI central contracts and the reason being speculated is their absence from domestic cricket after repeated notifications from the BCCI. Former Indian cricketer Pragyan Ojha has spoken about the importance of domestic cricket, especially in the longer formats of the game (Tests and ODIs).
Pragyan Ojha asserted the importance of domestic cricket in the national team’s Test and ODI team selection process, keeping T20s out of this discussion. He mentioned the requirements for players to return to the national team. Pragyan Ojha also mentioned that if players do not play domestic cricket, they might also face problems playing IPL in the future. Pragyan Ojha revealed how the two players can return to the team.
“Look, if we talk about Test cricket or one-day cricket, I will keep T20 out of the discussion because there are a lot of players available for that format and at the domestic level, if you even talk about Syed Mushtaq Ali, there are a lot of established players.” and veteran players who played in that tournament. However, if you want to play for the Indian team, then the BCCI, the coach and the captain, based on what we have heard from them. “They have made it clear that you have to play domestic cricket if you are a contracted player and then you have to play a minimum of three or four matches if you are available.”
“If they don’t play, then you may have a problem in the IPL too, as I have heard. As of now, only the IPL will not be able to offer most of the selections as domestic cricket will have a lot of importance because domestic cricket is not something that just allows you to come back. It’s also something that gives you confidence as a player. The more you run with the red ball, the more wickets you take and the more you play, the more your confidence will increase as we have seen youngsters coming into the team,” Pragyan Ojha said on CricBuzz.
Watch: Pragyan Ojha talks about the importance of domestic cricket
🚨 ICYMI🚨#ShreyasIyer & #IshanKishan denied central contracts of #BCCI 😲
How difficult will it be for the duo to return to #India? @PragyanOjha shares her thoughts on #CricbuzzChatter#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/tylbktS98L
– Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) February 28, 2024
The BCCI has announced the central contracts this year and has taken some innovative decisions making it mandatory for players who are not in the Indian team to play domestic cricket and also added a fast bowling contract for budding pacers who are expected to make their debut. in the Indian team to motivate them in their performance and preparation.
The five pacers included in the BCCI fast bowling contracts are Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vidwath Kaverappa, Yash Dayal, Umran Malik and Akash Deep. Akash Deep recently made his Test debut for the national team during the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, while Umran Malik made his debut for India in limited overs cricket. The other three pacers in the list are uncapped but are expected to make their debut in the upcoming series.