The Indian cricket team's 4-1 series win against England is significant in many ways. There were top stars like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami who were missing due to various. The series also Shreyas Iyer getting dropped after the first two Tests. Since, then he and Ishan Kishan, who was not picked up for the series, have been left out of BCCI contract list. Their apparent reluctance to play domestic was reported as a likely reason for the axing.
Iyer skipped a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai as he claimed he was having a back issue. However, a report in The Indian Express, said the NCA gave a contradictory fitness report on him. During this time, several media publications have claimed, Shreyas Iyer attended a pre-IPL camp with Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kishan also missed a Ranji Trophy game for his state team Jharkhand. He went on a break midway into India's Tour of South Africa. Then he was seen training with his IPL captain Hardik Pandya but he did not play in any Ranji Trophy game.
Now, Rahul Dravid has finally broken his silence on the two making a comeback into the series.
"They are always in the mix. Everyone who is playing cricket and domestic cricket is in the mix. I don't decide contracts. It's the board and selectors who decide it. I don't even know what the criteria is. People ask my opinion on the 15, me and Rohit pick the XI. We never discuss whether a player has contract or not, whether he is going to be picked . There are enough examples of people players in different formats of the game whether they have contracts or not," Dravid said in a post-match press conference after the fifth India vs England test.
"I sometimes don't even know who are in the list of contracted players when we make these decision. Nobody is out of the mix. It's a question of them getting fit, getting back playing cricket and forcing the selectors to pick them again."
Former Indian cricket team pacer Madan Lal, who was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, has praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for terminating star duo Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer's central contracts. While the BCCI didn't reveal the reason behind the decision to axe Kishan and Iyer, reports have claimed that the board was not happy with the players after both decided to skip domestic games for their state teams, despite being cleared fit by the NCA. Lal lauded BCCI over the polarising move, saying that playing domestic cricket should be made compulsory for those who prioritise IPL over First Class matches.
"If the BCCI told them to play first-class cricket, they should have gone and played. No one is bigger than the game. The BCCI should be given the credit as they are making it mandatory to play first-class cricket. Most of the players nowadays are taking First-class cricket for granted because of the IPL. Definitely, the BCCI made a rule that every player should go and play First-class cricket. So if you don't follow the rules, then they have to take some action and set an example for others," Lal told Times of India.