How can Shreyas Iyer earn central contract again?

Shreyas Iyer made a long-awaited comeback to the Indian side for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in Colombo. He was named in the playing XI for the first ODI on Friday, August 2, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Before this encounter, Iyer's last international appearance came in February's second Test versus England in Rajkot. The right-handed batter was dropped from the side after this Test due to his indifferent form. Iyer was expected to feature in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy 2024 campaign but he skipped some matches and reportedly irked the BCCI authorities. He was subsequently snubbed when the BCCI central contract list was announced.

The Mumbai batter took the setback on his chin and brought his A-game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from the front and helped them win their first IPL title in 10 years. KKR was mentored by Gautam Gambhir, who is India's current head coach. Iyer will look to go from strength to strength on his India comeback.

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What does Shreyas Iyer need to do to earn central contract again?

While announcing the list of centrally contracted players earlier this year, BCCI stated that players who will play a minimum of three Tests, or eight ODIs, or 10 T20Is between October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis.

"Athletes who meet the criteria of playing a minimum of 3 Tests or 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis," the BCCI mentioned in a press release.

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Iyer is playing his first ODI in this cycle and will need to play seven more 50-over encounters, or three Tests, or 10 T20Is to get a contract in the current cycle. Unfortunately, India only have two more ODIs after the first game against Sri Lanka and two Tests before the next cycle begins. Therefore, Iyer will have to wait for the next cycle to earn a central contract.