Indian coach Rahul Dravid stated that he did not have any role in excluding Ishan and Iyer from the BCCI contract and his focus is only on picking the best playing 11.
India’s head coach Rahul Dravid has clarified his role in player selection and central contracts. When asked about the exclusion of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the central contracts, Dravid emphasized that the selectors and the board make these decisions.
“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,” Dravid said during the post-match press conference.
The coach also assured that being excluded from the central contracts does not mean Kishan and Iyer are out of contention for national selection.
“They are always in the mix. Nobody is out of the 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,” he added.
However, Dravid hopes financial gain should not be the primary motivation for players to perform in Test cricket.
“I really hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Test cricket,” he said. “It’s just the hard work and how tough Test cricket can be is being recognized. 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 recognising it. I think it is a reward, not an incentive,” he concluded.
The BCCI contracts have evoked discussions following BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s warning to players regarding skipping domestic cricket. Notably, both Kishan and Iyer missed the Ranji Trophy despite this warning, leading to their exclusion from the central contract.
To further promote participation in red-ball cricket, the BCCI also recently launched the “Test Cricket Incentive Scheme,” offering significant financial rewards for consistent participation in Test matches.
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Last Updated on March 9, 2024
