Former cricketer Manoj Tiwary has praised the BCCI’s decision to not give Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan central contracts in the recent list unveiled by them. Both Iyer and Kishan were reportedly not recommended for the contracts by selectors.
Reports have suggested that BCCI was unhappy with Iyer and Kishan deliberately ignoring their instructions to play domestic cricket to become eligible for the Indian team.
In the same vein, Manoj Tiwary has revealed how young and even established Indian cricketers are engaging in discussions about the IPL during matches in the prestigious Ranji Trophy. These conversations, often centering around potential team selections, salaries, and strategies, highlight the shifting priorities of modern cricketers.
He further said that players are faking injuries to avoid playing domestic cricket. This not only weakens the competition's credibility but also calls into question a player's commitment to representing their state and contributing to the growth of the local circuit.
"See, removing players from central contracts could have been avoided, though I don't know what conversation they had in between. But now it is an open message to all that if players are available, they have to play domestic cricket, and that is how you have to protect this tournament. That is what I also said in my tweet," said Tiwary in a conversation with Sports Now.
Explained - Why Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were left out of BCCI's central contracts list
"Now everyone should fall in place, not one or two individuals. The rule has to be equal for all. Many other things need to be looked at, and in time, I'll write a letter to BCCI to highlight those areas. I have seen youngsters and established players speak only about IPL during domestic matches. Even in the zonal matches, when I used to play, their discussions are entirely based on IPL, and that I have seen from close quarters. The conversations, topics, and issues mostly surrounded IPL only,” he added.
Tiwary also mentioned a disturbing tendency in Indian cricket, in which young and even senior players purposefully opt out of Ranji Trophy matches due to injuries or niggles.
He added: "It is pretty natural once IPL contracts are given before the Ranji, it does affect someone - when you get 5 cr or 7 cr, players start thinking in their subconsciousness. So when a Ranji match comes, they try to avoid the last bit of effort required to dive and save a boundary that might have been crucial for the domestic tea. So most of the time, those have been left alone, avoided, and that is a fact. Then they try to find a reason, maybe a niggle. Earlier, what used to happen? Players turned up for their sides even while carrying an injury, but now they are trying to sit out the game and avoid the next couple of games. So these things are happening, and it is a fact," he explained before adding, "but I do not blame the players outright; we are all equally guilty of it."
(Sports Now inputs)
