India’s centrally contracted players will have to mandatorily play red-ball cricket in domestic circuit and the BCCI will not tolerate any excuses for the same, said secretary Jay Shah in Rajkot on Wednesday. Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the renaming of the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Shah said the chairman of selectors will be given a free hand to take a call on his own if a player refuses to follow instructions given by the team management.
It was reported by PTI earlier that the BCCI will be making it mandatory for Indian players to appear in the Ranji trophy for at least three or four matches in case they wish to play in the IPL.
“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 told the media.
However, Shah said that it was to happen in accordance with the guidance from the national cricket Academy in Bangalore.
“Whatever advice we get from the NCA — say suppose somebody’s body is not able to handle both white-ball and red-ball cricket — so we do not want to impose anything in that regard,” he said.
“(It applies to) whoever is fit and young — we are not going to tolerate any other tantrums. This message is for all centrally contracted players,” said Shah providing further clarity.
“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 added.
Shah said it was important to back the players when they need leaves owing to personal reasons, as in the case of batting maestro Virat Kohli, who has made himself unavailable for the ongoing five-match Test series against England.
“If somebody is asking for a personal leave in 15 years then it is his right to ask for it. Virat is not that kind of a player that he would ask for a leave without any reason. We must back and trust our players,” he said.
But the BCCI secretary did not give any details if Kohli, like Rohit Sharma who was confirmed as the T20 captain for the upcoming World Cup, would be available for the showpiece event. “We will talk about Virat later,” Shah said.
Mohammed Shami is also among the players who are currently on a comeback trail after suffering injuries and Shah said information will be provided whenever the bowler is fit. “We will inform you when Shami gets fit,” he said.
