India‘s head coach, Rahul Dravid, stated that Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer losing their central contracts was not a decision made by the team management. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) terminated Ishan and Shreyas’s contracts in February, but Dravid emphasized that both players are still in contention for selection. He urged them to work hard and earn the trust of the selectors again.
Dravid’s comments came after Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were omitted from the senior men’s team central contract list due to reportedly ignoring directives from the BCCI top brass to play domestic cricket. Ishan Kishan has not played competitive cricket at the highest level since opting out of a Test series in South Africa in December-January, while Shreyas Iyer was left out of the last three Tests against England due to back injury issues.
“I don’t decide contracts or discuss that. I don’t even know what the criteria is. Both are in the mix and hope they play cricket, stay fit and force the selectors to pick them. No one is out of contention, players without contracts have also played,” said Dravid after India’s victory in the 5th Test against England.
“Rohit and I select playing 11. Sometimes even I don’t know who is contracted and who is not. No one is out of the mix,” he added.
Dravid also supported Shardul Thakur‘s call for more rest between Ranji Trophy matches to help players manage their workloads better. He emphasized the importance of listening to players and finding ways to improve the domestic schedule for their benefit.
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