Revealed: How Hardik Pandya convinced BCCI to give him Grade A contract amid Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan fiasco

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya getting A category in the BCCI‘s annual contract raised quite a few eyebrows, especially with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer getting terminated. The governing body released the contracts for the 2023-24 season on Wednesday (28th February).

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were axed from the BCCI’s annual contract because the duo didn’t play in the domestic circuit. But the same was the case with Hardik Pandya as he too didn’t play the domestic circuit and it made many wonder as to why he was handed a Grade A contract while the other two got omitted.

As per the reports in Indian Express, it is learned that selectors underwent a lot of discussion over the contract of Hardik Pandya. The reports claimed that the all-rounder was only handed the contract after he gave an assurance that he would play in domestic cricket.

Hardik Pandya reportedly gave an undertaking that he would play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy if there were no white-ball commitments with the national team. The all-rounder has been away from the red-ball cricket due to fitness issues.

The reports also added that there were a lot of discussions about handing A contract to Hardik Pandya. But his reporting to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on a time-to-time basis to have his fitness assessed worked in his favor.  He has been out of action since the ICC World Cup 2023 due to an ankle injury.

A source close to Indian Express revealed that BCCI won’t be forcing Hardik Pandya to feature in red-ball cricket but the all-rounder needs to be available for all the white-ball domestic cricket if there are no international commitments. The source stated:

“We have had discussions with Pandya, who has been told to play domestic white-ball tournaments when he is available. At this stage, according to the assessment of the BCCI’s medical team, he is not in a position to bowl in red-ball tournaments. 

“So playing Ranji Trophy is out of the equation for Pandya. But he has to play other white-ball tournaments if there are no India commitments. If not, he will miss out on a contract.”

Hardik Pandya recently made a return to competitive cricket in the DY Patil tournament. The all-rounder will be now captaining Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024. He will be crucial for the team in the league.

“If players like Hardik Pandya don’t want to play red-ball cricket….” – Irfan Pathan’s aggressive statement on all-rounder

As BCCI announced the annual contracts, Irfan Pathan made a bold statement. He while backing Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, targeted Hardik Pandya, saying that if players don’t want to play red-ball cricket, they shouldn’t be allowed to play white-ball cricket. He tweeted:

“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 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…

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 29, 2024