The Board of Control for Cricket in India recently revealed the player retainership that announced new superstars receiving central contracts for 2023-24 for the senior men's national team. But a debacle launched after some vital team players were excluded. While Shikhar Dhawan and Yuzvendra Chahal were expected to be retained, the surprising snub of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan attracted attention. The BCCI has also alarmed the cricketers to compete in domestic tournaments. Amid the turmoil, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team has opened up on the scenario.

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Kirti Azad welcomes BCCI's Ranji Trophy directive, says rules should apply to everyone 

1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad opened up over the latest directive launched by the BCCI after announcing the player retention list. Azad supported the BCCI's mandate for cricketers to play the Ranji Trophy, saying it was an outstanding decision, allowing the players to remain in touch with their domestic roots. He added that it should apply to all India team players, including Grade A+ players like skipper Rohit Sharma and batter Virat Kohli.

"It (directive) is a very good move. Everybody should be playing Ranji Trophy cricket, but currently the emphasis is on the IPL. It is good, it is entertaining but the real cricket is the (five) days' cricket. Playing in domestic cricket is good, it keeps you in touch.

"But whenever you are free, even if you're a Rohit Sharma or a Virat Kohli, you should go back and play domestic cricket for the state. That (state) gave you the opportunity to be a player, get selected and then play for the country.

He felt that penalising just Ishan and Iyer wasn't right.

"Just to penalise the two is not correct, I think everybody should be penalised. Everybody should be seen with the same mirror," Azad told PTI Video.

Also Read: 'Yuzvendra Chahal, Shreyas, Umesh...': List of Players who are out of BCCI central contract list

However, Azad declined to comment on whether this was the potential end of the road for Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer after their names were snubbed from the list of centrally contracted players.

Furthermore, he praised youngsters like Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan for finding the balance between T20 cricket for their IPL teams and playing the Ranji Trophy.