The discussion around Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan losing central contracts continues to grow as former India captain Sourav Ganguly is the latest one to react. The ex-BCCI chief said he fails to understand why the two talented cricketers didn’t turn up for the Ranji Trophy when they were not on national duty.
Iyer played the first two England Tests after featuring in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy game against Andhra. He was then ruled out of the last three games and went to the National Cricket Academy (NCA), complaining of a back spasm. The NCA medical team cleared him of an injury but the batter didn’t make himself available for a return to the ongoing Test series neither did he play the red-ball domestic tournament. Instead, he was spotted in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ pre-season camp in Kolkata.
While the BCCI hasn’t given any specific reason for omitting Iyer and Kishan, reports suggest that their absence has upset the selectors and the board officials.
Speaking with RevSports about the same, Ganguly also emphasised that players have to play domestic cricket which is the only fundament in India.
“I think the BCCI wants them to play first-class cricket. So I’m surprised that Shreyas hasn’t played Ranji Trophy. It’s a premier tournament and you’re supposed to play. So it’s a decision by the BCCI and what they thought, right, they’ve done it. But players must play first-class cricket. That’s the basis of cricket in this country,” Ganguly told RevSports.
Iyer is set to join Mumbai for the Ranji Trophy 2024 semi-final, against Tamil Nadu, and
“You’re supposed to play first-class cricket. It’s a premier tournament in your country. You’re a contracted player and once you’re a contracted player, you are expected to play. Iyer is playing in the [Ranji Trophy 2024] semi-final.
“They are young people and Shreyas, and Ishan Kishan, have surprised me. He was a part of the Indian team in all formats. Such a big contract in IPL. So, I don’t know why he’s done that,” he added.
Importance of Ranji Trophy
The former Indian captain stressed the importance of the Ranji Trophy, saying it’s the test that a player needs to pass before representing the country.
“Of course, the main tournament. It was based on the Ranji trophy, you played for India. Nobody could even think about not playing in the Ranji Trophy. Obviously, IPL wasn’t there. IPL came in at the later stages of my career, many of our careers,” Ganguly said.
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