'Ishan Kishan should be VERY CAREFUL': Sourav Ganguly STUNNED by 'gifted' Ishan's rigid stance

The Senior Men's Annual Player Contracts for Team India were released on Wednesday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The contracts run from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. The termination of the contracts of players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who recently defied the BCCI's desires and boycotted domestic cricket for their respective teams, is one of the announcement's main features.

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Sourav Ganguly supports BCCI’s decision to terminate Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s contract 

Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team and former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has backed the board's decision to remove Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan off the centrally contracted list owing to their absence from the Ranji Trophy. In an exclusive conversation with RevSportz, Ganguly discusses his thoughts on the situation, He said: 

“I think the BCCI wants them to play first class cricket. I am surprised why Shreyas Iyer has not played Ranji Trophy. It is a premier tournament and you are supposed to play. So, it is a decision by BCCI and what they have thought right they have done. Every contracted cricketer must play first class cricket because that is the basic premise of cricket in this country.”

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Sourav Ganguly expressed astonishment that Ishan Kishan chose not to play in the Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand, emphasising the significance of first-class cricket for contractual players. He compared Kishan's choice with Shreyas Iyer's resolve to play for Mumbai in the semi-finals, querying why Kishan, a player of enormous potential who has represented India in all formats of the sport, would opt out. Sourav emphasised the importance of such players actively participating in first-class cricket, and expressed astonishment at Kishan's choice. He added: 

‘You are supposed to play first class cricket. Once you are a contracted player, you are expected to play the Premier tournament. Shreyas Iyer is playing the semi-final for Mumbai in a couple of days’ time. Yes, they are young people and Ishan has surprised me. He was part of the Indian team in all formats. Such a big contract in IPL. I don’t know why he has done that. You must play especially when you are as gifted as Ishan Kishan. When you are playing for India in all formats, you must play. I was surprised by his decision not to.’