Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are seen during a practice session. File
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

The exclusion of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the list of centrally-contracted players was a decision that was solely taken by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has revealed, asserting that “nobody is indispensable”.

Kishan and Iyer were left out after failing to show up for domestic engagements despite a directive from the BCCI. While Kishan went on a long break after the end of the ODI World Cup last year and remained unavailable until the IPL, Iyer eventually did feature in a few matches for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy including the semifinal and the final.

However, Iyer still found himself at the receiving end after it emerged that he had attended a Kolkata Knight Riders’ camp in Mumbai when his domestic side was busy playing a Ranji Trophy fixture.

“You can check the constitution. I am just a convener (of the selection meeting),” he said during a media interaction at the BCCI head office in Mumbai on May 9.

“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.

“My role is just to implement. And we have got new players (in place), like Sanju (Samson). Nobody is indispensable,” he added.

Shah reiterated the Board’s position that Indian players will have to prioritise domestic cricket.

In the days leading up to the contract snub, Shah had stated before the third Test between India and England in February this year that he would completely back the chief selector’s decision for any action on players who do not comply with the Indian captain and team management’s requirement for participation in domestic cricket.

Shah said he spoke with the players after their exclusion.

“Yes, I had spoken with them. Media had even carried the reports,” he said.

“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,” Shah continued.

Talking about high scores in this year’s IPL, Shah said ultimately, it comes down to who is playing well and who, as a player, can sustain performance.

“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,” he added.

Shah also revealed details of his conversation with Kishan, which took place after Mumbai Indians’ match against 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 said.

While there have been a few media reports mentioning an increase in the match fees for domestic players in the country, Shah said there is no such plan.

“We have increased the pay anyway and also incentivised Test cricket. We had increased the pay by 100 per cent in 2022,” Shah added.

India’s Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer take a run during the second one-day international cricket match between India and South Africa, in Ranchi.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who were members of India’s ODI World Cup squad, have been stripped off the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) central retainer for 2023-24.

The list of 30 men’s cricketers was announced by the BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday. “Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations,” Shah stated.

While the statement does not specify the reason, the BCCI administration, along with the team-management and the selection panel, has been extremely unhappy with Kishan and Shreyas over their reluctance to participate in the Ranji Trophy.

Despite repeated directives, Kishan did not feature in the Ranji Trophy, instead preferring to train in Vadodara along with his franchise captain Hardik Pandya after returning midway through India’s tour of South Africa. After being omitted from India’s Test squad after the second Test against England, Shreyas did not turn up for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. On Tuesday, he made himself available for Mumbai’s Ranji semifinal versus Tamil Nadu.

“The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team,” Shah reiterated in the statement.

Despite being eligible for a pro-rata contract, The Hindu understands that the duo will not be offered a retainer at all as disciplinary action and to set a strong example for the cricketers who have been increasingly prioritising the Indian Premier League over other competitions.

Without a BCCI contract, the duo will also be unable to have the medical cover offered by the BCCI and will be able to access the BCCI training and rehab infrastructure, including the National Cricket Academy, only through a request by their respective State association.

For the first time, the BCCI has offered fast-bowling contracts for five pacers who are not among the list of 30 centrally contracted players. They include Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa.

Among the list of 30 contracted cricketers, K.L. Rahul, despite a mysterious quad injury at the moment, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been the big gainers. Jaiswal makes an entry into the contracts fold in Grade B, while Kuldeep has been promoted from Grade C to B. The remaining trio has been promoted from Grade B to A on the back of their performance in the previous contract cycle.

The BCCI’s central retainer cycle runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, so the list of 30 cricketers announced on Wednesday will be in effect till September end.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant who has been working hard on a comeback since his road accident almost 15 months ago, have been moved from Grade B to A.

All the annual retainer fees, along with the match fees, have been left unchanged. As a result, Grade A+ cricketers will earn ₹7 crore, while the ones in Grade A, B and C will take home ₹5 crore, ₹3 crore and ₹1 crore, respectively.

As per the convention, any non-contracted cricketer — except Shreyas and Kishan — who will play a minimum of 3 Tests, eight ODIs or 10 T20Is during the contract period is eligible for a contract on a pro-rata basis since the date of his eligibility.

Two to tango: Gill and Rohit have set it up for India during its run chases.  Photo K.R Deepak/The Hindu
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

The essence of an emerging contest is often sensed during the opening act in ODIs. Remember Sachin Tendulkar’s upper-cut six off Shoaib Akhtar in a 2003 World Cup game at Centurion in South Africa? It set the tone for India’s successful chase and it was the bullet that set fire to the African skies. After two decades, that shot continues to have immense recall value.

Cricketing tradition, even in ODIs, often expected openers to wear down fast bowlers before the middle-order stars swaggered in. But that dour garb atop the batting tree was then slightly altered. Teams mixed it up with one classic player walking out alongside an aggressive partner. Closer home, we had Sunil Gavaskar and K. Srikkanth.

Later, it became Ravi Shastri and Srikkanth. Even with the West Indies, Desmond Haynes was more ice to Gordon Greenidge’s raging fire. The late Martin Crowe then unleashed the pinch-hitter with Mark Greatbatch being the battering ram up the order for co-host New Zealand during the 1992 World Cup.

In the 1996 edition hosted in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka did a ‘buy one get one free’ offer as two aggressive willow-wielders — Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana — caused havoc. This double-trouble template was also reflected through Indian pairs such as Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly or later Tendulkar-Virender Sehwag.

Cut to the latest World Cup, India has been served well by its openers except during that shock two for three phase against Australia at Chennai on Oct. 8. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan or Rohit with Shubman Gill have plundered runs, especially during the compulsory first 10-over PowerPlay stage with field restrictions.

Against Afghanistan in Delhi, Rohit, and Kishan shared 156 runs. In the big fight involving Pakistan at Ahmedabad, even though Gill fell early, by then India had struck 23 runs in a mere 2.5 overs. When the action shifted to Pune, Rohit and Gill shared an alliance worth 88. Later, once the Himalayas were scaled, the duo added 71 against New Zealand at Dharamshala. In all these key bonding exercises, Rohit was the constant star.

If Kishan was all about left-handed aggression, the aesthetics were often the sole preserve of the right-handers — Rohit and Gill. Usually in cricket, it is the other way round where left always got it right when it came to tapping our artistic biases. An elegant left-hander was an expected norm even if for every David Gower poem, there was a counter through Allan Border’s hard prose.

Killing them softly could be the joint theme of the Rohit-Gill combine and their fiery tango has drilled holes through the opposition’s field settings besides scraping the skies. These partnerships have been crucial as India mounted excellent chases all through this premier championship and also laid the foundation for Virat Kohli to build his strong edifices. As the Men in Blue prepare for their Sunday’s clash against England at Lucknow, the Rohit-Gill chemistry will continue to be the first hurdle that rival skippers will always be wary about.

Australia’s Mitchell Starc watches as Virat Kohli K.L. Rahul run between the wickets during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match between India and Australia in Chennai, India, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc completed 50 wickets in the ICC World Cup, becoming only the second Australian and overall fifth bowler to do so.

The pacer accomplished this milestone during India’s ICC Cricket World Cup campaign opener against Australia in Chennai. In the defence of 200 runs, Starc drew the first blood, removing Ishan Kishan for a golden duck. He ended with figures of 1/31 in eight overs. In 19 WC games, he has 50 wickets at an average of 15.14, with best bowling figures of 6/28. Starc’s 27 wickets in 10 World Cup games in the 2019 edition of the tournament is a record that stands still.

He has taken the most wickets in a single edition of the tournament. He also took 22 wickets in the 2015 edition at home, in which Australia also won the trophy for the fifth time. The highest wicket-takers in World Cup history are Australia’s Glenn McGrath (71 wickets in 39 matches), Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (68 wickets in 40 matches), Lasith Malinga (56 wickets in 29 matches) and Pakistan’s Wasim Akram (55 wickets in 38 matches).

Starc has taken his 50 World Cup wickets in just 941 balls, becoming the fastest to reach the milestone in terms of balls taken. The second-best here is Malinga, who reached the landmark in 1,187 balls. Greats like McGrath, Akram, and Muralitharan are below Starc in this list. Coming to the WC match between India and Australia, Australia lost Mitchell Marsh for a duck, but opener David Warner (41 in 52 balls with six fours) and Steve Smith (46 in 71 balls with five fours) helped the Aussies recover with their 69-run second-wicket partnership. Marnus Labuschagne (27) tried to take the Aussie innings forward with Smith, but following Smith’s dismissal, Australia faced a collapse.

The spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja (3/28), Kuldeep Yadav (2/42), and Ravichandran Ashwin (1/34) wreaked havoc on Australia’s line-up of recognized batters while the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah (2/35), Mohammed Siraj (1/26) and Hardik Pandya (1/28) removed the lower order, sinking Australia from 110/3 to 199 all out in 49.3 overs. Mitchell Starc (28) tried to help the Aussies play the full quota of 50 overs, but he failed.