The BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the omission of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the list of centrally-contracted players was completely decided by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. Kishan and Iyer were left out after failing to attend domestic engagements despite a BCCI mandate. While Kishan took a long sabbatical after the ODI World Cup last year and was unavailable until the IPL, Iyer did play a few Ranji Trophy matches for Mumbai, including the semifinals and final. However, Iyer found himself on the receiving end after it was revealed that he had attended a KKR camp in Mumbai while his home team was playing a Ranji Trophy match.
"You can check the constitution. I am just a convener (of the selection meeting)," he 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 stated before the third Test between India and England in February this year that he would fully support the chief selector's decision to take action against players who do not meet the Indian captain and team management's requirements for participation in domestic cricket. Shah claimed he 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," Jay Shah continued.
When asked about high scores in this year's IPL, Shah stated that it all boils down to who is playing well and who can sustain performance.
" Whoever plays well in the IPL... like say Ishan Kishan, he finds it difficult to take part with the Indian team but he can play in Mumbai Indians as a player. There he can play in a relaxed manner. In Team India, you have to prove yourself, give back to back performances. The one who can handle that can be described as a right player," he added. Shah also revealed details of his conversation with Kishan, which took place after Mumbai Indians' match against Gujarat. "No, I did not advise him anything. It was just a friendly talk that he should do well and I speak with all players like that," he said.
