India batters Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have been in the news for the last couple of days after being dropped from the BCCI central contracts list for the 2023-24 season. Both of them paid the price for failing to adhere to the board's mandate of playing domestic cricket.
Iyer, who was reportedly struggling with back pain, didn't make himself available to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy for his side's final group stage game and then the quarter-finals despite being cleared fit to play by the NCA.
On the other hand, Kishan, who recently returned to competitive cricket in the ongoing DY Patil T20 Cup, too didn't feature in a single Ranji Trophy match.
The BCCI, in its release, while announcing the list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season confirmed that both Shreyas and Ishan weren't considered for the contract in the current round of recommendations.
The release also added, "The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team."
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Madan Lal has said that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan should have played the Ranji Trophy following the BCCI's directive.
"If the BCCI told them to play first-class cricket, they should have gone and played. No one is bigger than the game. The BCCI should be given the credit as they are making it mandatory to play first-class cricket. Most of the players nowadays are taking first-class cricket for granted because of the IPL. Definitely, the BCCI made a rule that every player should go and play first-class cricket. So if you don't follow the rules, then they have to take some action and set an example for others," Lal said in an interview with TOI.
Madan Lal asked Shreyas and Kishan to comeback stronger by demonstrating fitness and form in first-class cricket.
"They have to play (first-class cricket) if they are fit. The main thing is fitness. If they are fit, then they can play the first-class season. But a good season in IPL can always be beneficial, and there is no doubt about their class. They have done so well here and there. But it is the BCCI making sure that the boys are disciplined," he added.
Madan Lal also acknowledged India's bench strength and highlighted its importance in achieving outstanding results.
"It is true that players like Sarfaraz and Jurel are coming. But Kishan and Shreyas here have done well. It's not that they are there without the performances. But the good thing is that we have a bench strength to replace them. And it's very, very important to have team B as well as discipline within the team if we want to produce a better result," he concluded.
