‘Indian cricket won’t achieve the desired results’ - Irfan Pathan reflects on Ishan Kishan-Shreyas Iyer’s central contract snub

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan, once again made waves on X (formerly known as Twitter) with his tweet discussing the exclusion of star cricketers Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) central contracts.

The BCCI's latest contract announcement for the 2023–24 season did not include Kishan and Iyer, attributed to their absence from domestic red-ball matches. However, Irfan Pathan was seemingly taken aback after seeing the contract snub.

The former all-rounder took to X and hoped that both Kishan and Iyer would make strong comebacks for the Indian team. He even talked about how the rules should stay the same for everyone after the BCCI mentioned star all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s name in the contract list. 

“They are talented cricketers, both Shreyas and Ishan. Hoping they bounce back and come back stronger. If players like Hardik don’t want to play red-ball cricket, shouldn't he and others like him participate in white-ball domestic cricket when they aren’t on national duty? If this doesn’t apply to all, then Indian cricket won’t achieve the desired results!” Irfan Pathan tweeted.

The contract snub came after both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer missed out on their respective Ranji Trophy clashes, citing working on certain technical aspects and being supposedly injured, respectively. Ishan Kishan recently revealed that he does not feel ready for red-ball cricket. Noticing their individual choices, the BCCI announced its commitment to enforcing severe penalties on players who prioritize the IPL over the Indian domestic circuit.

Also read: Explained: Why Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer were left out of BCCI central contract?

Iyer and Kishan were part of category B and C in the previous season (2022-23), respectively, but have been snubbed entirely for the new season. As a result of the board’s decision, Iyer has decided to turn up for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu, as he gears up to lead Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024.