Hardik Pandya's White-Ball Prowess Lands Him BCCI Central Contract

The recent announcement of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) annual central contracts for the 2023-2024 season has sparked controversy within the cricketing community. Notably, batters Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer found themselves omitted from the list of 30 players, raising eyebrows and prompting questions about the selection criteria.

Kishan and Iyer's Exclusion
Ishan Kishan, representing Jharkhand, and Shreyas Iyer, hailing from Mumbai, were notable absentees from the contract list. Their absence was attributed to their failure to adhere to the BCCI's directive concerning participation in the Ranji Trophy tournament.

Kishan refused to partake in the tournament, while Iyer's involvement was impeded by his exit from the Indian Test squad, rendering him unavailable for the quarterfinals.

Pandya's Unique Case
Conversely, all-rounder Hardik Pandya secured a Grade A contract from the BCCI despite primarily focusing on white-ball cricket for India. This discrepancy drew attention, with former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan highlighting the unequal treatment in a tweet. However, according to a report by the Indian Express, Pandya's situation is deemed unique.

Commitment to Domestic Tournaments
Pandya has committed to playing for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy when not representing the national side. The BCCI clarified that Pandya, due to the assessment of its medical team, is currently unable to participate in red-ball tournaments such as the Ranji Trophy. Nonetheless, he is obligated to participate in other white-ball tournaments during his available windows.

"We have had discussions with Pandya, who has been told to play domestic white-ball tournaments when he is available. At this stage, according to the assessment of the BCCI’s medical team, he is not in a position to bowl in red-ball tournaments. So playing Ranji Trophy is out of the equation for Pandya. But he has to play other white-ball tournaments if there are no India commitments. If not, he will miss out on a contract," stated a BCCI official.

Pandya's Return to Cricket
Pandya recently made a comeback to competitive cricket at the DY Patil tournament, representing Reliance One. Despite recovering from an ankle injury, Pandya demonstrated his prowess by taking two wickets and conceding 22 runs in three overs. Additionally, he has been diligently training individually in Vadodara and ensuring that his fitness is monitored at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).