2024-03-03 15:32:04
Chennai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not given central contracts to Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan due to not playing Ranji Trophy. This has now become a topic of debate in Indian cricket. The Ranji Trophy semi-final between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu is being played at the BKC grounds on the outskirts of the city. Iyer, of course, is playing the semi-finals. But the question that is going around is whether Ranji Trophy should actually be played before preparing for IPL?
There is a belief that IPL performance matters for entry into the Indian team. It is the tournament itself that brings all the limelight and when the selectors sit down to select their teams, the IPL performance takes priority over the Ranji Trophy.
Found a way, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan can still get such central contracts
Does Ranji Trophy get priority for Test team selection?
But former Indian opener Devang Gandhi, who was part of the Indian senior selection committee until 2020, strongly opposes this approach. “Many people cite Jasprit Bumrah and say that he got a chance to play Test cricket on the basis of his performance in the IPL,” Gandhi told TOI. But I can tell you, I personally went to Hubli to watch a match between Mumbai and Gujarat where they bowled 30 overs. We found out whether he has the ability to bowl for a long time before deciding to pick him,’ he said.
He says that when a Test team is selected, Ranji Trophy performance is always given priority. The former opening batsman said, ‘Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj – all the players who came during our tenure – had played enough red-ball cricket before being selected for the Indian team.’
How did Ajinkya Rahane get a place in the team again after a good IPL season?
That was the case with Ajinkya Rahane last year when he was selected in the Indian team for the World Test Championship final after a brilliant IPL. But Gandhi realized that even that decision was not just about IPL performance. Rahane is a tried and tested player who has performed well in England in the past. He said, ‘There was an opening because Iyer was injured and Rahane was playing. Yes, he was in good shape during the IPL which might have helped him, but that was not the only reason behind his selection.