The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCII) has not announced the list of annual contracts this year and according to a report by Times Of India, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja may end up losing out on their Grade A+ contracts. The report claimed that players who excel in all three formats are given preference for Grade A+ contracts and the trio’s retirement from the T20 format has complicated matters. The report added that the central contracts are generally announced before the Indian Premier League (IPL) but the BCCI have decided to wait till the end of the Champions Trophy.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!However, a good show in the Champions Trophy can mean that all three can retain the top tier of the central contracts. The only other cricketer with a Grade A+ contract is fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah but there seems to be no problems with his situation.
According to the report, Shreyas Iyer is expected to be awarded a central contract after he was ignored last year due to disciplinary issues. The batter has performed brilliantly in the Champions Trophy and his showing on the domestic circuit will certainly bolster his case.
“The board will wait for Rohit’s decision after the Champions Trophy. If by any chance he chooses to retire, then the board will see what needs to be done. One can’t discount the fact that he won the T20 World Cup in July and has led well in the Champions Trophy as well,” a source told TOI.
Meanwhile, ormer South African cricketer AB de Villiers hailed star India batter Virat Kohli for “stepping out of his comfort zone” during the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that winning the title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would be a “perfect finishing touch” to his legendary career.
RCB will kickstart their campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and they would be looking to win their first IPL title, which would mean a lot for Virat, who has been a part of the franchise since 2008, the year when league started.
Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, AB recalled the criticism Virat received for his strike rate in the initial stages of the competition, calling it “ridiculous”.
“The scrutiny over Virat’s strike rate was absolutely ridiculous. He had done exactly what his team needed from him. It is all about the situation. When he has someone at the other end he trusts, you see him experiment and play with more freedom. But when that’s not the case, he stays true to his natural game–anchoring the innings when needed,” said AB on JioHotstar.
(With ANI inputs)
from: NDTV Sports-Latest