"If players like Hardik don’t..." - Irfan Pathan slams BCCI for not giving central contracts to Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer
Published - 29 Feb 2024, 03:17 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:27 AM
In the wake of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan losing central contracts, former India bowler Irfan Pathan has accused the BCCI of giving preferential treatment to some players.
The BCCI, on Wednesday (February 28), announced the list of its central contracted players. The board has handed out central contracts to 30 players. Additionally, they have also handed out new fast-bowling contracts to a few bowlers. However, the biggest highlight of the list was the absence of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.
Recent reports stated that both the players were likely to lose their central contracts after ignoring BCCI???s directive to play Ranji games and the cricket board eventually decided to drop them from the list. The BCCI not only dropped them from the central contracts list but also announced that they were not even considered for the new contracts.
Irfan Pathan reacts:
BCCI???s decision to not give Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer the central contracts has not gone down well with many including Irfan Pathan. On Thursday (February 29), he took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam the BCCI for the decision and also questioned the preferential treatment given to Hardik Pandya.
Irfan Pathan asked the BCCI whether players such as Hardik Pandya who don???t play red-ball cricket would be considered for selection in the national team. He stated that Indian cricket won???t move forward if the rule does not apply to all. Irfan Pathan also threw his support behind Kishan and Pandya as he wrote:
???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!???
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???
Meanwhile, Kishan recently returned to action in the DY Patil T20 Cup in Pune. It was his first competitive game since November last year. On the other hand, Iyer last played during the second Test against England earlier this month. Both the players are set to return to high-profile cricket next month when the IPL gets underway. While Kishan will be playing for Mumbai Indians, Iyer will ply his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders.
