'It won't affect him' - KKR coach on star batter's India contract snub
The central contracts announced by the BCCI yesterday have created mayhem in the cricket fraternity and have been a talking point since then. The contracts announced by the board didn’t feature two prominent names - Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, and the board didn’t provide any reason for their exclusion.
Both were the national team’s integral members and contributed enough to retain the national contracts, so the outrage is understandable. Their absence is deemed an action on the warning BCCI issued its contracted players a few days ago, asking them to make themselves available for the domestic tournaments while away from national commitments.
Shreyas Iyer’s snub is more baffling and harsh since he was in the plans till a few weeks ago and was out of action due to back issues, which have troubled him severely in the past. While NCA labelled him fit, Iyer didn’t feature in Mumbai’s quarterfinal game against Barodo a few days ago in Mumbai.
While Shreyas has made himself available for selection in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu, his decision to skip the quarterfinal didn’t sit well with the top BCCI officials, leading to his snub. Some reports also suggest Iyer featured in a Kolkata Knight Riders’ training camp, which coincided with Mumbai’s quarterfinal fixture.
Contract snub won’t affect Shreyas Iyer, feels Chandrakant Pandit
Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit opened up on Shreyas Iyer’s snub from the central contract. Talking to Mid-Day, Pandit exclaimed that Iyer can serve India in any format and will be useful.
“I will not say Shreyas must be included in a certain Grade, but he is definitely a player who can serve India in any format. He has had an injury issue, but it was solved. He is a good performer and even scored a century on Test debut. In our future series, there may be some players who will not be in form, so naturally, Shreyas will be there. He will play domestic cricket and can perform in the IPL. He is going to be useful for Indian cricket in any format.”
Adding to his point, Chandrakant expressed his surprise at Iyer’s exclusion. However, the KKR coach feels it won’t affect Shreyas because he has that fighting spirit.
"It's surprising that Shreyas was not considered for the annual contracts because he is India's all-format player. We don't know the reason, but I think he should walk into the pool of India's contracted players. He could have definitely fitted in any Grade. Knowing Shreyas, I don't think it will affect him. He will definitely fight and perform. He has that fighting spirit."
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