BCCI Contract Snub to Affect Shreyas Iyer Ahead of Ranji Trophy Semis? Ajinkya Rahane ANSWERS!
Mumbai: Shreyas Iyer would be featuring in the upcoming Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu, but is he in the right state of mind after being stripped of his central contract? Veteran cricketer Ajinkya Rahane was asked this question by the media at the BKC ground. To that, Rahane said Iyer is an experienced cricketer and has always done well whenever he has featured for Mumbai.
“He’s an experienced player. His contribution has been amazing whenever he turned up for Mumbai. We are thrilled to have him in our team for the semifinal,” Rahane told the media here at the BKC Ground.
Rahane also reckoned Iyer does not need encouragement to perform well in the semis.
“I don’t think he needs any encouragement or advice. He has always contributed with the bat for Mumbai, and him being around other players in the dressing room will also help the team’s cause,” said Rahane.
Earlier, Ishan Kishan and Iyer’s snub from the contract list comes after the duo denied playing in the Ranji Trophy despite being fit, thus not respecting BCCI’s directive to play domestic cricket when not playing for the national team. In case of Pandya, he only plays in white-ball cricket for India. His last Test match for India was in 2017, while his last outing for state side Baroda was in 2018 in a Ranji Trophy match.
Meanwhile, after the fifth and final Test against England, the Indian stars will get busy with the Indian Premier League, followed by the T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies. According to the Future Tours Programme, India are scheduled to play only three T20Is against Bangladesh at home.