Former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan raised questions regarding the participation of limited-overs cricket-focused players like Hardik Pandya in domestic white-ball competitions when not on national duty. Pathan’s remarks followed the termination of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s contracts by the BCCI due to their unavailability for the senior national team and absence from red-ball domestic cricket this season.
The BCCI’s decision, viewed as a stern message to senior national team hopefuls, saw Ishan and Shreyas, former holders of C and B grade contracts, excluded from annual retainership for the 2023-24 season. Thirty cricketers were awarded central contracts, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah retaining top bracket (A+) contracts.
Hardik Pandya, who has been sidelined from India duty since sustaining an injury during the World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh, retained his A category contract.
Irfan Pathan expressed concerns about players like Hardik Pandya prioritizing limited-overs cricket over the red-ball format. He questioned whether such players should participate in white-ball domestic cricket when not representing the national team, emphasizing the need for uniformity in approach to achieve desired results in Indian cricket.
“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,” Irfan Pathan said in a post on X.
Ishan Kishan recently returned to competitive cricket during the DY Patil T20 Cup in Pune after a hiatus since November 2023 due to personal reasons. Despite being urged by BCCI secretary Jay Shah to participate in the Ranji Trophy, Ishan missed the entire season after withdrawing from a Test series during the South Africa tour.
Shreyas Iyer, known for his ODI World Cup performance, played a Ranji Trophy match before the Test series against England but was later dropped from the squad.
The decision to terminate Shreyas’s contract stirred debate among fans, particularly considering his efforts to recover from injury and his role as India’s vice-captain during a T20I series.
Hardik Pandya, whose Test cricket involvement has been limited due to injury concerns, has expressed his focus on the shorter formats of the game.