"Shreyas chose not to play, Ishan said he doesn't want to play.."- Aakash Chopra's sensational revelation after Central Contracts axing

Aakash Chopra recently reacted to Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) central contracts. Aakash Chopra said that the BCCI’s decision was right if Shreyas Iyer prioritized Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) over playing in the Ranji Trophy.

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were excluded from the contracts for 2023-24 after choosing not to participate in the Ranji Trophy 2024. Before this, BCCI secretary Jay Shah asked centrally contracted players to compete in domestic matches when not representing India.

The BCCI stated that the duo were not considered for the central contracts. Shreyas and Kishan had previous Grade B and Grade C contracts, respectively. Iyer has been a regular member of India’s ODI and Test setup and played a crucial role in the 2023 World Cup.

Shreyas Iyer Chose Not To Play – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted Shreyas Iyer‘s decision not to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy but to attend a KKR camp instead.

“According to an ESPNcricinfo article, Shreyas Iyer said after the Vizag match that he has slight pain in his back. The NCA gave a report that he does not have any fresh injury and that they think he is ready to play. He was asked to play as the Ranji Trophy was on,” Chopra said.

“There Shreyas Iyer chose not to play. However, in the same article it’s written that he went for the pre-season camp with KKR. Now that is an issue. If that has happened, if you are doing KKR’s pre-season camp, there will be a problem,” he added.

Shreyas Iyer was dropped from the Indian team after the second Test match against England. The right-handed batter was asked to play first-class cricket due to his poor form in the format. He scored just 104 runs in two Test matches at a disappointing average of 26.

Ishan Kishan Doesn’t Want To Play – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra noted Ishan Kishan’s decision to skip the final Ranji Trophy league games for Jharkhand despite being asked to play. Chopra highlighted Kishan’s choice to practice with his IPL captain, Hardik Pandya, in Baroda.

“Shreyas Iyer’s team is playing the semi-final. So he is available. However, since Ishan Kishan’s Jharkhand wasn’t in a position to qualify and some games were left, he was asked to play. He said that he doesn’t want to play,” Chopra further stated.

“At the same time, he was already practicing with his IPL captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda but wasn’t playing Ranji Trophy matches. So that hasn’t gone down well. Instead of practicing, he could have played a match if his break was over.”

Ishan Kishan has been sidelined from the national team after opting out of the South African tour due to mental fatigue. Kishan is currently playing in the DY Patil T20 Tournament in Navi Mumbai. Dhruv Jurel was preferred over him for the Test series against England.

Dhruv Jurel made the most of the opportunity with his performances in the ongoing series. The 23-year-old might have sealed his spot in the Test team after winning the ‘Player of the Match’ award in his second Test match in Ranchi.

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