The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah opined that the decision to exclude Ishan Kisan and Shreyas Iyer was in the hands of Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar. The pair was not considered by the BCCI because they refused to play in the domestic editions despite frequent notice.
Ishan Kisan considered leaving the tour of South Africa midway for his mental break. On this, head coach Rahul Dravid urged Kishan to participate in the domestic circuits if he wants to get selected for the T20 World Cup squad. However, the latter forced himself out from participating in the Ranji Trophy from Jharkhand and instead began to train with the Pandya siblings.
My role is just to implement the decisions- Jay Shah’s massive statement on the axe of Ishan Kishan & Shreyas Iyer from contract list
The Men in Blue chose Dhruv Jurel instead of Ishan Kishan. The newbie accepted the opportunity along with Rishabh Pant apparently well fitted to play the red-ball match. Shreyas Iyer excluded himself ahead of the Ranji Trophy due to some injury issues. But, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) deemed him to be a match-fit. Later, the right-handed batter joined the KKR’s pre-season camp, which turned out to be the final straw.
“You can check the constitution. I am just a convener (of the selection meeting). That decision lies with Ajit Agarkar, even when these two players (Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer) who did not play domestic (cricket), the decision to drop them (from the central contracts list) was only his. Yes, I had spoken with them. Media had even carried the reports,” Jay Shah mentioned on the controversial matter during a media meet.
“My role is just to implement. And we have got new players (in place). Nobody is indispensable. Even Hardik (Pandya) said if BCCI is considering me for white-ball then I am ready to play Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Any player will have to play, even if they don’t want to, they will have to,” he stated.
Hardik Pandya was unable to play for team India since the 2023 ODI World Cup because he was suffering from an injury. But he was able to register a spot in the central contract as well as in T20 World Cup 2024.
In Team India, you have to prove yourself, give back-to-back performances- Jay Shah
Jay Shah pointed out the difference between playing for an IPL franchise and playing for Team India, especially how challenging it can be for the same spot.
“Whoever plays well in the IPL… like say Ishan Kishan, he finds it difficult to take part with the Indian team but he can play in Mumbai Indians as a player. There he can play in a relaxed manner. In Team India, you have to prove yourself, give back-to-back performances. The one who can handle that can be described as a right player,” Jay Shah further stated.
Jay Shah was seen having a conversation with Ishan Kishan when Mumbai Indians (MI) encountered Gujarat Titans (GT) during the opening week of the IPL 2024.
“No, I did not advise him anything. It was just a friendly talk that he should do well and I speak with all players like that, ” he concluded.