Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were omitted from the team roster due to their failure to fulfill domestic commitments, despite clear instructions from the BCCI.
The decision to exclude Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the list of centrally-contracted players was made by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, as revealed by BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Shah emphasized that no player is irreplaceable in the team. Kishan and Iyer were omitted from the list due to their failure to participate in domestic matches despite directives from the BCCI. Kishan took an extended break after the ODI World Cup last year and only returned to play in the IPL. On the other hand, Iyer did participate in a few matches for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, including the semifinal and final.
Nevertheless, Iyer faced criticism when it was revealed that he had attended a Kolkata Knight Riders camp in Mumbai instead of participating in a Ranji Trophy fixture with his domestic team.
"You can check the constitution. I am just a convener (of the selection meeting)," Shah said during a media interaction at the BCCI head office on Thursday.
"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.
In the days leading up to the contract snub, Jay Shah made it clear before the third Test between India and England in February of this year that he fully supported the chief selector's decision to take action against players who did not meet the requirements set by the Indian captain and team management for participation in domestic cricket. Shah stated that he had personally communicated with the players following their removal.
"Yes, I had spoken with them. Media had even carried the reports," he said. "Even Hardik (Pandya) said if BCCI is considering me for white-ball, then I am ready to play Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Any player will have to play, even if they do not want to, they will have to," Shah added.
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 "Jay Shah reveals who made the decision to exclude Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan from BCCI central contracts list")
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