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Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been in news off late. With this absence taking a new turn and forcing Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to pose clear directives, the Jharkhand batter fueled the controversies surrounding him when he missed the recent Ranji Trophy match.
After being informed by the BCCI management to play Jharkhand’s final Ranji Trophy Elite Group match against Rajasthan, starting February 16, the wicketkeeper-batter opted to skip it as he was not named in the XI. However, he wasn’t the sole Indian contracted player to miss it. Deepak Chahar, who has been out of cricketing action for a while, also decided to overlook his Ranji Trophy commitments.
It is to be noted that BCCI Secretary Jay Shah made the intentions clear for all players to feature in domestic cricket if they continue to miss games for a very long time. Shah also informed that all players have been informed of the same and a letter regarding the same will be sent out soon. “They have been informed on phone already and I’m going to write letters as well that if your chairman of selectors, your coach and your captain are asking for it then you will have to play red-ball cricket,” Shah said.
“(It applied to) whoever is fit and young - we are not going to tolerate any other tantrums. This message is for all centrally contracted players. Everyone will have to play, otherwise, the chairman of the selection committee has given me his suggestions and I am going to give him a free hand to let him take his own calls freely,” he further asserted.
It is to be noted that three players, including Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar were specifically told to feature in their state teams in First-Class cricket after their elongated absence. While Iyer did feature in India versus England Test series in Visakhapatnam, there remains a doubt if the middle-order batter is fit or not.
