"If You Don't Value...": Ex-Pakistan Star's Blunt Take On Ishan Kishan-Shreyas Iyer Row

03.03.2024 - 06:05 sports.ndtv.com

The dropping of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan by the BCCI from its central contract list has triggered a worldwide debate. Many have come in favour of the players and criticised the board for taking such a stern action against the top players.

While many have supported the BCCI for maintaining their strong stance and setting up an example for other players. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal also backed the BCCI and stated that such an action was required to punish the players for ignoring the board's orders.

Akmal stated that by dropping Kishan and Iyer from the central contract, BCCI has given a proof of being a "good management". "Shreyas Iyer played the first two Tests of the series.

If you don't value the cricket because of which you made it to the national team, what message is it going to give to all the youngsters?" said Akmal on his YouTube Channel. "BCCI has made the right call, taking such strict action early on to control the damage.

cricket India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team on Jay Shah Shreyas Iyer Sourav Ganguly Ishan Kishan South Africa India Pakistan

Star India batter Shreyas Iyer on Sunday joined the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) training camp ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. The official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Kolkata-based franchise shared pictures of the 29-year-old joining the team. Earlier in the month, KKR named Phil Salt as Jason's replacement for the upcoming season of the IPL 2024. With star overseas players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Phil Salt, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Mitchell Starc available along with a strong Indian core in Nitish Rana, skipper Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Charkavarthy, KKR will be aiming to do well in IPL 2024.

"What Was Going On Their Minds?" Harbhajan Singh On Ishan Kishan-Shreyas Iyer Contract Snub

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh backed the Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan duo after the players were axed from BCCI's central contracts. Both the stars failed to find a place in the player retention list announced by the country's apex cricket board at the end of February this year. Harbhajan said that the ouster is not the end of the road for the two players. However, he added that their selection in upcoming series would depend on their form and the requirement of the team.

Watch: Shreyas Iyer Ends Dismal Run, Gesture Is Viral With Rohit Sharma In Attendance

It has been a tough couple of months for Shreyas Iyer. The batter was not included in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) central contracts list and his form for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy was extremely disappointing. However, Shreyas was in fine touch on Tuesday as he slammed 95 off 111 balls and his celebration has gone viral on social media. Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma was in attendance during the Ranji Trophy final match against Vidarbha and it was a perfect time for Iyer to find some form. He looked extremely in control against the bowlers and scored a gritty half-century.

On Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer's Lack Of Form, Shardul Thakur's "Easy To Criticise" Verdict

Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer might have failed to snap their lean run, but Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Sunday placed trust in them to return to run-making ways and exhorted for backing the senior batters during their struggle period. Rahane and Shreyas fell for identical seven against Vidarbha as the 41-time champions' first innings folded for 224 at the Wankhede Stadium. “Ajinkya is not scoring runs throughout the season. He is not in the greatest of the forms. We cannot blame him as it is just a phase for him where he is not getting runs,” Thakur told the media after the first day's play.

"I Don't Decide BCCI Contracts": Rahul Dravid Breaks Silence On Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer Axing

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.

'Can't Practice With Franchise': Ex-KKR Star Blasts Shreyas Iyer, Drops 'Unless You're Virat Kohli' Comment

The debate around the axing of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan by the BCCI from its central contract is not ending anytime soon. The duo got penalized after they missed their respective state team's Ranji Trophy games. There were some reports which suggested that after missing domestic cricket, Iyer attended the practice session of his IPL franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders. This news reportedly irked selectors, which led to Iyer's exclusion from the central contract. Recently, former Australia spinner Brad Hogg lashed out at the KKR skipper for not showing up for the state team.