Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has made a bold comment regarding Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan following the duo’s sacking from the BCCI central contract list.
On Thursday, the BCCI announced its central contracts for 2023/24. Not only did they drop Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, two all-format India players who have played a significant amonut of international cricket in the past year, the BCCI mentioned that the pair wasn’t considered for the contracts because of them skipping the Ranji Trophy last round match.
The BCCI said, “Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations.
“The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team.”
Jay Shah, in his letter to all players, had said that there would be “severe implications” if players skipped the last round of Ranji matches if they were fit and not part of the Test squad. Yet, Kishan and Iyer didn’t make themselves available.
While the fans are divided on this decision by the board, veteran commentator Sanjay Manjrekar backs BCCI. Manjrekar praised BCCI for coming down hard on players who don’t “want to play the tough cricket”.
Manjrekar tweeted, “Well done to @BCCI for rewarding players who want to play the tough cricket and only for one reason…to face the ‘acid test’ as cricketers”
Well done to @BCCI for rewarding players who want to play the tough cricket and only for one reason…to face the ‘acid test’ as cricketers. 👏👏👏
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) February 28, 2024
Ravi Shastri advices Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan to “dig deep”
On the other hand, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has advices the duo to “dig deep” and face the challenge and make a strong comeback. Shastri was part of the coaching setup when both these players emerged as match-winners for India.
Shastri tweeted: “In the game of cricket, comebacks define the spirit. Chin-up, @ShreyasIyer15 and @ishankishan51! Dig deep, face challenges, and come back even stronger. Your past achievements speak volumes, and I have no doubt you’ll conquer once again.”
In the game of cricket, comebacks define the spirit. Chin-up, @ShreyasIyer15 and @ishankishan51! Dig deep, face challenges, and come back even stronger. Your past achievements speak volumes, and I have no doubt you’ll conquer once again.
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) February 28, 2024
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