Former Indian fast bowler Praveen Kumar shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan not receiving central contracts from the BCCI. He mentioned that the Board is emphasizing domestic cricket, and both players missed out on contracts because they didn’t participate in Ranji Trophy matches.
Former Indian Cricketer Slammed Ishan Kishan And Shreyas Iyer
In an interview with Times Of India, Praveen suggested that while it’s important for players to earn money, they shouldn’t neglect domestic cricket. He advised young players to prioritize international cricket over IPL and find a balance between the two in their careers.
“I have been saying this for long. Paisa kamao, kaun mana kar rha hai? Paisa kamane chahiye lekin aise bhi nahi hona chahiye ki aap domestic nahi khel rahe, country ko importance nahi de rahe. (Earn money, who is stopping you? But it shouldn’t be like you are not playing for the country or domestic cricket). This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun (Will rest for a month before the IPL and then play. This happens because mentally you are not willing to let go of that money). But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong.”
Shreyas Iyer was dropped from India’s squad during the England Test series. Unable to play in the quarter-final match against Baroda due to injury, Iyer’s return to the Ranji Trophy was disappointing. In the semi-final match against Tamil Nadu, the star batsman had a forgettable performance. He scored only 3 runs off 8 balls before being clean bowled by Sandeep Warrier in the Ranji Trophy semi-final match between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Iyer’s teammate Kishan was awarded a Grade C contract last year. However, Kishan decided to take a break from competitive cricket during India’s tour of South Africa. He later returned to play in the DY Patil T20 Cup shortly before IPL 2024.
“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chhorun (I will rest for a month before the IPL and then play. This happens because mentally you are not willing to let go of that much money). But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” former pacer Praveen added.
