New Delhi, Feb 29
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has urged the duo of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan to come back even stronger after being omitted from the BCCI central contracts list for the 2023/24 season.

On Wednesday, Iyer and Kishan were not included in the 30-member BCCI Central Contracts list running from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. In the previous season, Iyer held a Grade B contract, while Kishan had a Grade C contract.

"In the game of cricket, comebacks define the spirit. Chin-up, @ShreyasIyer15 and @ishankishan51! Dig deep, face challenges, and come back even stronger. Your past achievements speak volumes, and I have no doubt you'll conquer once again," wrote Shastri on X.

Ishan had been out of cricketing action after pulling out of India’s Tests against South Africa last year due to personal reasons. He was reported to be training in Baroda and missed the entire Ranji Trophy campaign for Jharkhand. Recently, Ishan returned to action via the ongoing DY Patil T20 tournament in Navi Mumbai.

On the other hand, after being omitted from India’s Test squad for last three Tests against England, Shreyas missed Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Baroda reportedly due to back issues, despite the NCA reportedly passing him fit. Iyer has been named in Mumbai’s squad for the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu starting on March 2 at BKC Ground.

"Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations. The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement while releasing the central contracts list.

In a progressive move for Indian cricket, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has recommended fast-bowling contracts for Akash Deep, who made his Test debut in the fourth game of the ongoing series against England at Ranchi, Umran Malik, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vidwath Kaverappa and Yash Dayal.

"Big applause to @BCCI and @JayShah for the game-changing move with 'fast bowling' contracts. A crucial step in gearing up for Down Under later this year. The emphasis on Test Cricket and Domestic Cricket is a powerful message, setting the right tone for the future of our beloved sport!" added Shastri, a member of India’s 1983 Men’s ODI World Cup winning team.

VVS Laxman, the former India cricketer currently serving as head of cricket at the NCA in Bengaluru, applauded the moves about prioritising domestic cricket through the central contracts and giving out fast-bowling specific contracts.

"It's great to see that commitment to represent the country in the largest format of the game and emphasis to keep oneself match ready by playing domestic cricket is being prioritised through the BCCI annual contracts.

“A wonderful move too to award contracts to budding fast bowlers so that they can operate without insecurities hanging over their heads @BCCI @JayShah," wrote Laxman on X.

Apart from Shreyas and Ishan, there are no places for Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Deepak Hooda and Yuzvendra Chahal in the central contracts list. Yashasvi Jaiswal, the leading run-getter in the ongoing Test series against England, is a new entrant in the central contracts and finds himself in Grade B.

Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Rajat Patidar are the other newbies in the central contracts list at Grade C.

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Shastri urges Shreyas & Ishan to come back even stronger after BCCI central contracts omission