Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, who made their Test debuts during the recently held home series against England, have been added into Group C of BCCI's central contract with an annual retainership fee of Rs 1 crore.
They earned central contracts after fulfilling the criteria of playing three Tests in a current season. Their names were approved during the BCCI Apex Council meeting which was held on March 18, news agency PTI reported.
Both the youngsters left a lasting impression and played a key role in India’s series win over England. While Sarfaraz scored three half-centuries in three Tests, Jurel earned the Player of the Match in only his second appearance with scores of 90 and 39* in a tricky chase at Ranchi.
According to the report, ratification of central contract was on the agenda in the Apex Council meeting and both of them made the cut.
Meanwhile, the BCCI is likely to revisit the Ranji Trophy calender for the next season and will not hold any matches in the northern part of India during the months of December and January, when fog and bad light often play spoilsport.
While the domestic calender will be announced later, the BCCI Apex Council discussed the tentative schedule of the 2024-25, which was one of the key points in the eight-point agenda of the Apex Council meeting.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Ranji Trophy matches, starting in January and ending in the second week of March and in north-Indian cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Kanpur, Meerut, Jammu, Dharamsala, most matches, are being impacted by bad light and fog during peak winter months.
"No decision has been taken yet but Ranji Trophy, like earlier years could start from mid or end October after the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which serves as an IPL auction platform. Some states are losing crucial points in do-or-die games because of inclement weather from mid-December to mid February," a senior BCCI source told PTI.
It has been also learnt that the BCCI will establish a committee, which will take a call on whether union territory Daman & Diu get associate membership.
(With PTI Inputs)
