Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly called for BCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny to have a discussion with Ishan Kishan after he was excluded from the board's list of annual central contracts.
The BCCI took a massive step by excluding both Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from central contracts for the 2023–24 season due to their absence from the ongoing Ranji Trophy in 2024.
This move didn’t go down well with many, as several former and current players have been giving their two cents on the matter. Well, Ganguly, the former BCCI president, stressed the importance of Shah, Binny, and the selectors engaging in a conversation with Kishan.
Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by Times of India: “For someone like Ishan Kishan, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, president Roger Binny and the selectors need to speak to him. All this while he has played Ranji and then played white-ball cricket. Has it made him a poorer player? It hasn’t.”
He added, “All the players picked in Delhi Capitals have played Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy. Even Ishant Sharma has played Ranji.”
Ganguly also stressed that the Indian cricketers can play both white-ball and red-ball cricket and that IPL will not have an impact on them. He explained, “They can play both red-ball and white-ball. IPL career can happen along with stint in first-class cricket. They don’t clash. First-class cricket finishes and then there’s almost a month before the IPL starts. I don’t see any problem. A lot of the top-quality players play Test cricket and white-ball cricket.”
Speaking about workload management, Ganguly said: “Honestly, workload is only for fast bowlers. Why do batters need any workload management? I can understand Bumrah being rested.”
He signed off by saying, “Jimmy Anderson has played over 160 Tests. What workload are you talking about at the start of your career? I still maintain that Indian cricket’s standard is superb.”
(With TOI Inputs)
