Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has voiced his approval of the Board of Cricket Control in India’s (BCCI) choice to terminate the central contracts of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. Both players were notably absent from the BCCI’s latest contract retention list for 2024.
In an unexpected move, the BCCI omitted Iyer and Kishan from the annual retention contract list. While Kishan last represented India in November 2023, Iyer’s last appearance was in the second Test against England in Vizag.
Ganguly, speaking to Revsports, expressed his agreement with the BCCI’s decision regarding Kishan and Iyer, emphasizing that contracted players are expected to actively participate in domestic cricket, particularly the Ranji Trophy.
“BCCI wants them to play first-class cricket. I am surprised that Shreyas and Ishan haven’t played Ranji Trophy, a premier tournament. It’s a decision by the BCCI and what they [did] was right. But, players must play first-class cricket,” Ganguly asserted.
“That’s wrong. You are supposed to play first-class cricket. Once you are a contracted player, you are expected to play. Shreyas Iyer is set to play for Bombay in the semi-final in a couple of day’s time,” Ganguly added.
He further remarked on Kishan’s unexpected absence and stressed the importance of participation in domestic competitions, especially for players of their caliber.
“They are young people. Ishan Kishan has surprised me. They are part of the Indian team in all formats, and also have such a big contract in the IPL. So I don’t know why he has done that,” Ganguly commented.
Ganguly, reflecting on his own career, highlighted the significance of the Ranji Trophy in shaping national team selections during his era, underscoring its importance as the premier tournament before the advent of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“It was the main tournament. It was on the basis of Ranji Trophy that national team selections happened. Obviously, IPL was not there. IPL came at a later stage of my career, many of our careers. I think Ranji was the most important tournament,” Ganguly reminisced.
