Secretary Jay Shah has warned that not participating in domestic cricket will have severe implications.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah has urged centrally-contracted Indian players to participate in domestic cricket to prove their worth for the national team. He warned that non-participation could have severe implications. In a letter to the players, Shah expressed concern over the trend of prioritising IPL over domestic cricket.
The Board expressed pride in the IPL's success over the years. However, a concerning trend has emerged where some players prioritise the IPL over domestic cricket, which was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation of Indian cricket and has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport.
He added in his letter that it is important to recognise that domestic cricket is the foundation of Indian cricket and is the primary source of players for Team India. It has always been clear to Shah that any player wishing to represent India must first prove himself in the domestic game. Performance in domestic tournaments is a crucial factor in the selection process, and failure to participate in domestic cricket will have serious consequences.
Shah stated that the letter was not a critique but rather a reminder of the values that have shaped Indian cricket over the years.
The letter highlights players such as Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar. These players have been left out of recent Indian squads for various reasons. Iyer holds a Grade B BCCI contract, while Kishan holds a Grade C contract. Chahar was not included in the last contract renewal by the BCCI.
Kishan's last appearance for India was in the T20I series against Australia in November. He withdrew from the South Africa tour at the beginning of the year due to personal reasons. He was not selected for the ongoing Test series against England. In the meantime, he has chosen not to participate in the Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand and has reportedly been training in Baroda with Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya.
After scoring a top score of 35 in the first two Tests, Iyer was dropped for the final three Tests against England. He played a round of Ranji Trophy cricket in January before the Tests but didn't play in the tournament's final.
Chahar too has not played a competitive match since December after requesting time off for personal reasons and regaining his fitness. However, he did participate in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy and the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy towards the end of last year.