Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said the decision to remove Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the annual central contract list was made by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. The batsmen were not considered by the BCCI for skipping domestic matches despite warnings.
"You can check the constitution. I am just a convener (of the selection meeting). That decision lies with Ajit Agarkar, even when these two players (Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer) who did not play domestic (cricket), the decision to drop them (from the central contracts list) was only his. Yes, I had spoken with them. Media had even carried the reports," Jay Shah said during a media meet in Mumbai.
"My role is just to implement. And we have got new players (in place), like Sanju (Samson). Nobody is indispensable. Even Hardik (Pandya) said if BCCI is considering me for white-ball, then I am ready to play Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Any player will have to play, even if they do not want to, they will have to," he added.
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Shah also addressed the difference between playing for an IPL team and the national team, highlighting the intense competition for spots. "Whoever plays well in the IPL... like say Ishan Kishan, he finds it difficult to take part with the Indian team but he can play in Mumbai Indians as a player. There he can play in a relaxed manner. In Team India, you have to prove yourself, give back-to-back performances. The one who can handle that can be described as a right player," Jay Shah further added.
Shah was seen talking to Kishan during the Mumbai Indians' IPL opener against the Gujarat Titans. "No, I did not advise him anything. It was just a friendly talk that he should do well and I speak with all players like that," he added.
Kishan left India's tour of South Africa for a mental break and didn't play for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy. Iyer cited injuries to skip Ranji Trophy matches, but the National Cricket Academy (NCA) cleared him as fit. His participation in the Kolkata Knight Riders' pre-season camp further fueled the decision.
Pandya hasn't played for India since the 2023 World Cup due to injury but is in the central contracts and the T20 World Cup squad. Head coach Rahul Dravid had also said that Kishan needed domestic cricket for selection. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel impressed in Kishan's absence and could be preferred over him for test matches, especially with Rishabh Pant fit again.
