Rahul Dravid passes statement on Kishan, Iyer's exclusion from BCCI's central contract

Rahul Dravid (Pic: File Pic)

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are the talk of the town after the Board of Control for Cricket in India excluded them from their central contracts for the year 2024 due to ignorance of the board's diktat. When asked about those two, Rahul Dravid refused to close the door on them. Kishan did not play any cricket after opting out of the South Africa series and began the preparations for the IPL 2024 along with Mumbai Indians' teammate Hardik Pandya.

Shreyas Iyer who didn't turn up for Mumbai's Ranji Trophy quarterfinal somehow made himself available for the semifinal clash against Tamil Nadu. He is also set to feature in final against Vidarbha starting from Sunday. "They are always in the mix. Nobody is out of picture. Everyone who's playing domestic cricket is in the mix. It's just a question of, hopefully, them getting back and fit, playing cricket, and forcing the selectors to pick them again." However, Dravid steered cleared when the sensitive issue of the central contract cropped up.

Also Read: MI vs GG live updates: Hemalatha and Mooney stabilize Gujarat's innings

"I don't decide contracts, right? Contracts are decided by the selectors and the board. I don't even know what is the criteria (for inclusion). Me and Rohit select the (playing) 11. We have never discussed whether somebody has a contract or not. I don't even know what the list of the contracted players is,¿ said Dravid in the post-match press-conference.

After Team India won the five-match series against England, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced a "Test Cricket Incentive Scheme" for players playing more in red-ball cricket for the country.

Dravid expressed his views on the new scheme. He said that hope players look at it as a reward for their hardwork rather than another source to earn money. "I really hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Test cricket. It's just the hard work and how tough Test cricket can be is being recognised.

"So, I wouldn't see it as an incentive to make people play Test cricket, I hope not. But it is nice that the BCCI is recognizing it. I think it is a reward, not an incentive," said the former Indian skipper.

He then proceeded to cite the example of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to validate his point. "It takes a special person to do what Ashwin has done (rejoining the team after a personal emergency), to play 100 Tests, you go through a lot. We don't celebrate 100 T20Is in the same way, do we?

Also Read: "I am least bit insecure about what people feel about me": Ravichandran Ashwin

"It's only when you get here that you realise that sometimes it's quite tough, but it is extremely satisfying (to play Tests). If they are well supported and well documented, I am sure there will be a lot of people still wanting to play Test cricket,¿ said Dravid.

While talking about red-ball cricket, the question also popped about Ranji Trophy's hectic schedule which was pointed out by India's all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

The premier domestic tournament was played out in a rush between January and March, as the teams often had to return to the field after a short break.

Dravid said a deep thought is needed on the subject. "I saw some of the comments by Shardul. In fact, some of the boys who've come into the team also commented about how tough the domestic schedule is," Dravid admitted.

"We need to hear the players because they are going through the grind and putting their bodies on the line. We need to see how we can manage our schedules. It's a long season already in India. It's tough," he said.

In that context, Dravid called for a thorough revisit of the domestic calendar. "The Ranji Trophy is a long season, and if you add a Duleep and a Deodhar to that if I'm not mistaken, the Duleep started in June, a month after the IPL.

"Your problem in this situation is your best players, the guys who are pushing for selection for India, are the ones that end up playing the most cricket. So, it can get quite tough on a lot of those boys."

He wants BCCI to have a re-look at the calender. "Maybe we need to re-look and see whether some of the tournaments that we are conducting are necessary in this day and age or if they are not necessary. There needs to be an all-round review involving coaches and players," he signed off.

(With PTI Inputs)