Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer's international career over? Rahul Dravid says "players without contracts..."

Indian head coach Rahul Dravid delivered a massive statement on the future of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan in the Indian team after the fifth Test against England. He said that he doesn’t decide on the contracts but the doors are not closed for anyone to make a comeback.

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were the two players who missed out on contracts with the BCCI for the upcoming season. The two teams were the mainstay of the Indian batting lineup but then denying to play domestic cricket came as a career-changing moment for them. 

Shreyas Iyer was part of the Indian squad for the first two Tests against England and then was left out of the team for the last three matches. The batter was then asked by BCCI to play in the Ranji Trophy however, he stated that he had back pain and wouldn’t take part. 

A report from NCA then revealed that Shreyas Iyer has no medical issues and the batter reportedly was seen attending the pre-season camp for Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL. This didn’t go well with BCCI as they terminated him from the national contract. 

On the other hand, Ishan Kishan pulled out of the Test series against South Africa in December due to mental fatigue. However, during that time he was seen partying and attending TV shows. The keeper-batter was asked by the team management to play in the Ranji Trophy. 

But he didn’t play and instead was seen training with the Pandya brothers for the IPL. This also didn’t go well with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they didn’t offer him the contract. 

Rahul Dravid was asked about the future of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer and replying to that he stated that both batters are in the mix. He added that both the players need to stay fit and force the selectors to pick them. Speaking to reporters, he explained: 

“I don’t decide contracts or discuss that. I don’t even know what the criteria is. Both are in the mix and hope they play cricket, stay fit and force the selectors to pick them. No one is out of contention, players without contracts have also played.”

Sometimes even I don’t know who is contracted and who is not – Rahul Dravid 

Rahul Dravid further added that he along with skipper Rohit Sharma select the playing 11 and they don’t look at who is contracted and who is not. He while stressing all the players are in the mix stated that they need to see how players manage their bodies. He added: 

“Rohit and I select playing 11. Sometimes even I don’t know who is contracted and who is not. No one is out of the mix. We need to hear the players. They are the ones putting bodies on the line. If they are saying, we need to see how to manage the domestic schedule better.” 

India won the Test series against England by the margin of 4-1. All the players will now be seen in action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The league will be played from 22nd March.