Hardik Pandya Clinches BCCI Grade A Contract

Hardik Pandya’s inclusion in the central contracts list by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sparked discussions, contrasting with the surprising omission of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. Sources suggest that Pandya secured his contract by pledging to play for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy during periods when he isn’t on national duty. This move has ignited diverse reactions, especially considering Iyer and Kishan’s reported bypassing of domestic tournaments.

Pandya’s return to competitive cricket at the DY Patil tournament marked his comeback after sustaining an ankle injury during the World Cup in October. Despite his training in Vadodara, Pandya’s consistent fitness assessments at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) worked in his favor during the recent contract deliberations.

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Hardik Pandya’s Dual Commitment Dilemma

The BCCI’s decision hinges on Hardik Pandya’s availability for domestic white-ball tournaments, given his current inability to bowl in red-ball tournaments, as confirmed by the BCCI’s medical team. While India’s busy Test calendar minimizes white-ball commitments, Pandya has assured his participation in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy during the non-international window.

Former cricketer Irfan Pathan, however, questioned this differential treatment, particularly for players like Pandya who refrain from red-ball cricket. Pathan’s tweet emphasized the need for uniformity in players participating in white-ball cricket when not on national duty to achieve the desired results for Indian cricket.

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BCCI’s Directive on Player Commitments and the Impact on Contractual Inclusions

To standardize player commitments, the BCCI is set to instruct contracted players, including Hardik Pandya, to report to their respective state units during non-national team engagements. This directive addresses concerns raised when players attended short camps with IPL franchises during the domestic season, impacting their availability for state teams.

Wednesday’s announcement by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, following selectors’ recommendations, confirmed Shreyas and Ishan’s exclusion from the 2023-24 annual contracts due to their absence from the Ranji Trophy, despite being part of the national setup for a significant part of 2023. Despite written encouragement from Shah, both players missed the subsequent Ranji fixtures, drawing sharp criticism from various quarters.