Because of the harsh steps I have taken, they are playing Duleep Trophy: Jay Shah

Jay Shah (Twitter)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) axed Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the central contract earlier in the year. Notably, Iyer decided to skip Mumbai’s semi-final clash in the Ranji Trophy citing back spasm while Kishan chose to miss out on the entire domestic red-ball calendar, which infuriated the BCCI officials and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently acknowledged that he removed both these cricketers from the central contract to send them a message. He noted that harsh punishment was necessary as it brought them back to red-ball cricket as they have signed up for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, set to begin on September 5.

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Shah also clarified that if any player is injured and gets out of the Test squad, he will have to prove himself again in the domestic circuit before getting a call-up to the national team. He cited the example of Ravindra Jadeja, who is the only A+ graded cricketer to feature in the Duleep Trophy.

“If you look Duleep Trophy squad, apart from Rohit and Virat rest are going to play. It’s because of the harsh steps I have taken, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are playing Duleep Trophy,” Jay Shah told Times of India.

“We have been little strict. When Ravindra Jadeja had got injured, I was the one who called him and asked him to play a domestic game. It’s certain now, whoever gets injured and goes out, can only come into the Indian team after proving his fitness in domestic cricket,” he added.

Doesn’t make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s load by asking them to play domestic cricket: Shah

Star India batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not part of the Duleep Trophy. Shah explained that the selectors wanted to manage their workload and for this, they were given a break. He added that there’s a risk of them getting injured, which India cannot afford given that they are slated for two high-profile series against Australia and England in the next one year.

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“It doesn’t make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s load by asking them to play domestic cricket. They run the risk of getting injured. You also need to look at England and Australia. None of their top players play domestic cricket. We must treat our players respectfully and not treat them like servants,” Shah said.