Promising cricketers Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are in the news for the wrong reasons. They have been axed from the central contract by BCCI for refusing to play in the Ranji Trophy.
When Ishan left South Africa tour mid-way, he had given the reason of mental fatigue and the board decided to give him a break. BCCI was expecting Ishan to return to domestic cricket after a while. However, the southpaw defied head coach Rahul Dravid’s advice to remain away from domestic cricket.
As per reports, the team management spoke to Ishan during the India vs England Test series. However, Ishan refused to play, saying he was not ready yet. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel was given a chance, and the young cricketer was named the Player of the Match in the Ranchi Test.
Iyer also excused himself from one of the Ranji Trophy matches for Mumbai due to injury. However, NCA’s report on his injury was contradictory.
While there was no official reason given on why Ishan and Iyer were dropped from the central contract, one line in BCCI’s release gave a strong hint. “The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team,” the BCCI stated.