Shreyas Iyer's injury issue was solved - Chandrakant Pandit's bombshell statement amid central contract fiasco

Indian cricketers Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were removed from BCCI’s annual retention list as both players refused to play domestic cricket despite the board making it mandatory for the players to do so. During his absence, neither Iyer nor Ishan appeared for their respective state teams in the Ranji Trophy, which did not go down well with the board’s top officials and they decided to pull out their names.

In the case of Shreyas Iyer, the right-handed batsman was excluded from the Indian squad after failing to deliver in the first two Tests against England. Iyer was supposed to join the Mumbai Ranji team camp. However, Iyer withdrew from the premier Indian domestic competition after complaining of a back spasm.

The twist in the tale came when the NCA officials had already given the medical clearance to Iyer for playing first-class cricket. Though, despite Iyer making himself available for the semi-final match later his name wasn’t considered for the annual contract list.

Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit, while speaking to Mid Day, stated that he would not say Shreyas Iyer shall be included in any grade, but believes that he is such a player who can represent the country in any format. Pandit revealed that Iyer had a back issue, which was resolved later. The KKR head coach added that he is a good performer and also scored a ton in his debut Test.

Chandrakant Pandit gives his verdict on Shreyas Iyer’s removal from central contract

He said, “I will not say Shreyas must be included in a certain Grade, but he is definitely a player who can serve India in any format. He has had an injury issue, but it was solved. He is a good performer and even scored a century [105 against New Zealand in 2021 at Kanpur] on Test debut.”

Chandrakant Pandit has worked closely with Shreyas Iyer in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp. Pandit believes that the Mumbai batter will overcome the setback very soon and he can fit into any grade. Pandit promises that this hit will only make Iyer more devoted and motivated to fight back stronger.

He said, “It’s surprising that Shreyas was not considered for the annual contracts, because he is India’s all-format player. We don’t know the reason, but I think he should walk into the pool of India’s contracted players. He could have definitely fitted in any Grade. Knowing Shreyas, I don’t think it will affect him. He will definitely fight and perform. He has that fighting spirit.”

Shreyas Iyer has been a boom for India in the white ball format while playing at number four and five. The right-handed batter scored over 500 runs in the ODI World Cup 2023, which includes two centuries. However, in the absence of main players such as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, Iyer had to put his step forward but he didn’t and failed to perform with the bat in the red ball format.

However, Shreyas Iyer will still be available for selection despite being removed from the central contract.