Shreyas Iyer has had a crazy last few months.
About five months ago, he was in a race against time to get in shape for the 2023 World Cup. He went on toachieve the all-time record in World Cups, racking up unprecedented numbers for a middle-order batsman, but ultimately lost in the final. He next went on a Test tour of South Africa, where his form seemed to be poor, and he scored 41 runs in four innings. And now, after playing four Tests in a crucial home series against England, he has not only been dropped from the squad, but surprisingly also from the BCCI’s list of central contracts.
Although no official explanation has been given for his exclusion, it is almost an open secret why he was not considered for an annual contract in this recommendation. In recent weeks, the BCCI has given strong indications that: Enforced a new one and issued a policy that a contracted player should prioritize domestic cricket over IPL.
BCCI Secretary General Jay Shah sent an email to players warning them of “serious consequences” if they do not participate in domestic cricket. “Players who show hunger and desire for Test cricket will be given priority,” Indian captain Rohit Sharma said after the Ranchi Test win.
Although on the surface a wise and noble idea, it was probably not justified to scrap the central contract of a player who until a fortnight ago was first choice in the mid-order in Tests and ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations.#ShreyasIyer #IshanKishan #India #Cricket #BCCI pic.twitter.com/StNFBBhlqY
– Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) 28. 2024 年 2 月
The problems with Mr. Iyer’s board appear to have begun around the beginning of 2024. He was not selected for the Afghanistan T20I that followed the South Africa series, leading to fears that he would be left out of the squad. Instead, he was asked to take part in the Ranji Trophy, which he did. In the second round match against Andhra, which started on January 12, Iyer scored 48 in the only innings he played. Soon after, he was selected in the Test squad against England.
With Virat Kohli withdrawing from the series due to personal reasons, Iyer’s role in the middle order became increasingly important, especially given his reputation as a spin-basher. ButEven though he won all four of the first two Tests of the series, Iyer could not even pass a fifty. As a result, he was left out of the squad for his last three Tests.
However, just before the squad for the final three Tests of the series was announced, reports surfaced that Iyer was complaining of back problems. “Iyer has informed the Indian team management and medical staff that his back has become stiff after playing more than 30 balls and he is feeling pain in his groin while playing in the striker’s field,” the Indian Express reported. is reporting .
However, the injury was not mentioned in the BCCI team announcement. In fact, according to The Indian Express, an email sent by the NCA to the Indian management regarding Iyer’s fitness stated, “Shreyas Iyer will be in the Indian team’s handover report after the second Test.” According to the book, he was in good health and could make the choice.” match against England. Even after his departure from Team India, no new injury has been reported as of now. ”
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This comes after Iyer missed the Ranji Trophy quarter-final match against Baroda in Mumbai, which was scheduled to begin on February 23, after he “faked” the injury to avoid playing domestic cricket. There was widespread speculation that he had done so. Moreover, pictures of him attending KKR’s camp during this period also came out, which was in direct violation of the BCCI leadership’s directives, which infuriated the BCCI leadership and led to the final This must have led to the decision to terminate the contract. As it stands, Iyer has made himself available for the semi-finals in Mumbai against his Nadu state in Tamil, which is scheduled to begin on March 2.
Even though Iyer faked an injury to avoid first-class matches at home after bouncing between three formats in international cricket for the past six months (coincidentally he had to undergo surgery) , missed the IPL last year), the punishment does not seem proportionate to the crime, even if we believe that.
BCCI’s new player retention policy states that “a player who meets the criteria of playing at least 3 Tests, 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within a specified period will automatically be promoted to Professional Grade C.” Iyer will play 4 Tests, 12 ODIs and 2 T20Is during the Central contract consideration period for the 2023-24 season (from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024). He scored 145, 582 and 61 runs. In fact, he is one of only four other Indian batsmen to have scored more runs than Iyer in international cricket during this period.
BCCI is committed to setting a strong precedent so that youngsters do not fall into the tempting trap of optimizing their annual calendar to be in top shape for the IPL. But perhaps Mr. Iyer (and his counterpart, Mr. Kishan) was acting on precedent. Until now, India’s prominent players have ignored the leadership and prioritized the needs of the IPL franchise over the needs of the national team, let alone the national team.
Perhaps the BCCI realized this and tried to correct course, but what should have been a hit to the knuckles at most turned out to be an amputation of the entire hand. As with all things BCCI, there may be more than meets the eye, but Iyer still has reason to believe he is in for a big hit.
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