Shreyas Iyer on BCCI contract snub: Winning IPL apt answer to whatever happened

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 7, 2024 22:04 IST

Star India batter and IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer has finally broken the silence about the issues that led to his exclusion from the BCCI central contract list. The right-handed batsman revealed how a lack of communication and persistent fitness issues cost him his place in the Indian team and the much-coveted central contract. However, Iyer made a sensational comeback with two trophies with his sides. Iyer was part of Mumbai's team that won the Ranji Trophy and then he led KKR to their third IPL title in a nearly flawless campaign.

Shreyas Iyer released a video on Friday evening discussing his break, the lack of communication, and decisions that didn't go" in his favor. While he didn't explicitly mention it, there were clear indications that he was referring to the BCCI contract snub and the subsequent criticism he faced. In his video, Iyer explained his side of the story, emphasizing his desire to focus on his fitness post-World Cup. "I had a terrific World Cup and I wanted to take a break after that and wanted to work on my body and build some strength around certain area. Due to lack of communication, there were some decisions, that didn't go in my favour," Shreyas Iyer said on his YouTube channel.

Iyer was determined to let his bat do the talking and he chose to respond to his setback through stellar performances in domestic cricket and the IPL. "At the end of the day the bat is always going to be in my hand and it's up to me to perform and win trophies. I knew that once I win the Ranji Trophy and the IPL, that will be an apt answer to whatever happened in the past. Thankfully, everything fell in the right place. We have a lot more trophies to win in the future," he added.

SHREYAS IYER FITNESS ISSUES

Shreyas Iyer's fitness problems began in March of last year when he suffered a back injury. Despite this setback, he managed a remarkable recovery, featuring in the Asia Cup in September and subsequently in the ODI World Cup. His performance during the World Cup was nothing short of stellar, as he emerged as India's third-highest run-scorer, amassing 530 runs, including two centuries and three half-centuries, helping India to a runner-up finish. Following the World Cup, Iyer was selected for the Test series against South Africa, but his performance was underwhelming in the two Tests he played, and he also made his first appearance in the Ranji Trophy since the 2018-19 season later that month.

Iyer was named in the squad for the home Test series against England but was dropped amid reports of back spasms after the first two Tests. Although cleared for selection, the BCCI expected him to play in the Ranji Trophy when not part of the national team. Despite being medically cleared, Iyer chose to skip the Ranji games, citing his back issues. This decision did not sit well with the BCCI, leading to Shreyas's omission from the central contract list for the 2024-25 season.

Later, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah said Shreyas Iyer's ommission from the list of centrally-contracted players was completely decided by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. "You can check the constitution. I am just a convener (of the selection meeting)," Jay Shah said during a media interaction at the BCCI head office. "That decision lies with Ajit Agarkar, even when these two players (Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer) who did not play domestic (cricket), the decision to drop them (from the central contracts list) was only his. My role is just to implement. And we have got new players (in place), like Sanju (Samson). Nobody is indispensable," he added.

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