‘Hoping they bounce back’ - Irfan Pathan opines on Indian Cricket Board latest central contract rule

On Friday, the former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan questioned whether players like Hardik Pandya, who have emphasised limited-overs cricket, are required to compete in domestic white-ball events while not on national duty. Irfan Pathan's comments came after the Indian Cricket Board opted out Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer's contracts for not being available for the senior national squad and skipping red-ball domestic play this season.

A strong decision was made by the Indian Cricket Board as they stated their selections were not considered for the annual contract. In last year's contract Shreyas Iyer was placed in Grade B and Ishan Kishan was placed in Grade C. In total 30 cricketers were given annual contracts for the year 2023-24. On one hand, when Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja are placed in a Grade A+ contract, Hardik Pandya is not available for India has retained his contract in Grade A.

"They are talented cricketers, both Shreyas and Ishan. Hoping they bounce back and come back stronger. If players like Hardik don’t want to play red-ball cricket, should he and others like him participate in white-ball domestic cricket when they aren’t on national duty? If this doesn’t apply to all, then Indian cricket won’t achieve the desired results," Irfan Pathan said in a post on X.

Since last November Ishan Kishan hasn’t played in competitive cricket and has been back in cricket action. He returned to play in the ongoing DY Patil T20 Cup. Ishan Kishan took a break from cricket from India’s tour of South Africa. He pulled out from the series due to mental fatigue. He also missed Ranji Trophy matches for the Jharkhand team. Even though Indian Cricket Board secretary Jay Shah sent a warning to several players he didn’t show up for any Ranji Trophy matches. 

Shreyas Iyer who scored more than 500 runs for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup played in Ranji Trophy match just before the Test series against England. His form was a concern as he scored 106 runs in his first two Test matches. For the final three Test matches, he was dropped from the team.