The Indian cricket team’s 4-1 series win over England was significant in many ways. Top stars like Virat Kohli and Mohammad Shami are absent due to various reasons. Shreyas Iyer was also dropped after the first two Tests of the series. Thereafter, he and Ishan Kishan, who was not selected for the series, were left out of the BCCI contract list. According to reports, their apparent reluctance to compete in domestic competition may have been the reason for the dismissal.

Iyer missed Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match as he claimed he had a back problem. However, a report in The Indian Express claimed that the NCA had contradictory reports on his fitness. During this period, several media outlets claimed that Shreyas Iyer participated in Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL preliminary training camp.

Kishan also missed the Ranji Trophy match for his state team Jharkhand. He took a break midway through the India Tour of South Africa. He was later seen training with IPL captain Hardik Pandya, but he did not play any Ranji Trophy matches.

Now, Rahul Dravid has finally broken his silence on the duo’s comeback.

“They are always in the mix. Everyone who plays cricket and domestic cricket is in the mix. I don’t decide on contracts. It’s the board and selectors who decide. I don’t even know what the criteria are. People ask me about The view of No. 15 is that Rohit and I picked the XI. We never discuss whether a player has a contract or not, whether he will be selected or not. There are enough examples of whether a player has a contract or not in different formats of the game or not. No contract or not,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference after the fifth India vs England Test.

“When we make these decisions, I sometimes don’t even know who is in the list of players to sign. No one is left out. It’s a matter of them getting fit, playing cricket again and forcing the selectors to pick them again.”

Madan Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team and former Indian cricket team pacer, has challenged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the termination of star duo Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Shreyas Iyer’s central contract is appreciated. While the BCCI did not reveal the reasons behind its decision to sack Kishan and Iyer, reports suggest that the board was not happy with the two players as they decided to miss the state team’s domestic matches despite the NCA having cleared the duo for recovery. Lal hailed the BCCI’s polarizing move and said playing domestic cricket should be mandatory for those who prioritize the IPL over first-class competitions.

“If BCCI tells them to play first-class cricket, they should go and play. No one is more important than the game. BCCI should be commended for making it mandatory to play first-class cricket. Most of the current players are not playing because of IPL Taking first-class cricket for granted. Of course, BCCI has made a rule that every player is expected to play first-class cricket. So if you don’t follow the rules, then they have to accept taking some action and setting an example for others,” Lal told TOI.