Aakash Chopra calls for grade A+ contract for Ravindra Jadeja

Former Indian player and cricket expert Aakash Chopra has opined that Indian star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja should also be in the A+ category along with skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and pacer Jasprit Bumrah. It is to be noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had recently announced the 2021-22 central contracts list for Indian players.

BCCI has four categories of central contracts and each carries a separate value of yearly payment amount. While, Grade A+ category is given INR seven crore, Grade A (INR five crore), Grade B (INR three crore), and Grade C (INR one crore). A total of 27 players were given central contracts by the board this year.

Several Indian players along with Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ishant Sharma, who have been dropped from the Indian Test side due to poor form got a cut in their payrolls. On other hand, players who were kept under the Grade A category include Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Mohammed Shami.

I think Ravindra Jadeja’s name should be on the A+ list: Chopra

Cricket expert Aakash Chopra believes that Jadeja should have been given the  A+ contract due to his good performances for the Indian side in the past. Chopra also named several other players including KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant who should be in the A+ category for next year’s pay list.

“The category where there was no change is the A+ category, were Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah are there. But why not Ravindra Jadeja? I think Jadeja’s name should be there on that list. In the next central contract list, I believe Jadeja’s name will be there in that category because he has performed so brilliantly,” Chopra was quoted by Hindustan Times.

“Currently, Jadeja is in Grade A. In the next list, I think both Jadeja and KL Rahul will be in the A+ category. Rishabh Pant is going to be a massive contender. He is the vice-captain of the team. All of them should be pushed to the A+ category,” Chopra added.