Interview by Debasis Sen
Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and ex-BCCI President, supports the board’s decision to exclude Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from centrally contracted players for skipping the Ranji Trophy. In an exclusive interview with RevSportz, Ganguly shares his views on the issue and also on Rishabh Pant’s comeback in the upcoming IPL 2024 and more.
Here are the excerpts:
Do you think the board has taken the right move to exclude both Shreyas and Ishan from the central contracts?
Sourav: I think the BCCI wants them to play first class cricket. I am surprised why Shreyas Iyer has not played Ranji Trophy. It is a premier tournament and you are supposed to play. So, it is a decision by BCCI and what they have thought right they have done. Every contracted cricketer must play first class cricket because that is the basic premise of cricket in this country.
Were you surprised to see Ishan Kishan’s decision to not play Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand?
Sourav: You are supposed to play first class cricket. Once you are a contracted player, you are expected to play the Premier tournament. Shreyas Iyer is playing the semi-final for Mumbai in a couple of days’ time. Yes, they are young people and Ishan has surprised me. He was part of the Indian team in all formats. Such a big contract in IPL. I don’t know why he has done that. You must play especially when you are as gifted as Ishan Kishan. When you are playing for India in all formats, you must play. I was surprised by his decision not to.
Rishabh Pant is all set to make a comeback to competitive cricket with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024. How big a boost will it be for DC?
Sourav: It’s a huge boost for Delhi Capitals because Indian players are gold in the IPL. Obviously, he has not played much cricket and I hope he gets back to rhythm very quickly. It’s been a while he is away from competitive cricket, almost 17-18 months. He has worked very hard to make a comeback. He is confident and wants to play for Delhi Capitals and India. I am extremely happy he is back and hope he gets through the season.
You recently met Rishabh ahead of the inaugural ceremony of WPL 2024 in Bengaluru. What did you tell him?
Sourav: I met him (Rishabh) in Bangalore recently for the inaugural game of WPL. He was there. He is getting ready and hopefully will play in IPL 2024. He looked very confident about playing in the IPL 2024 which begins from March 22. And that’s seriously good news for us in Delhi and India.
Sourav Ganguly EXCLUSIVE: “Ishan Kishan has surprised me by not playing Ranji Trophy”
Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and ex-BCCI President, supports the board’s decision to exclude Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from centrally contracted players for skipping the premier… pic.twitter.com/qlXL44fcKW
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) February 29, 2024