Central Contracts
New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has backed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after it handed Hardik Pandya a Grade A category Annual contract despite not featuring in international cricket since the ODI World Cup 2023 while denying the same to Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for not playing domestic cricket.
The BCCI on Wednesday released the list of players that have been awarded annual central contracts for 2023–2024. Contracts were denied to players like Iyer and Ishan Kishan, while Hardik was placed in the Grade A category.
Hardik suffered an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup 2023 in the match against Bangladesh in Pune in October and the all-rounder has been out of action ever since. Fans on social media also pointed out Pandya’s unavailability from domestic cricket regularly.
However, Aakash Chopra defended the BCCI's decision and reckoned that Hardik cannot be punished for not playing first-class cricket, given he has not been contesting for a spot in India's Test squad.
"Hardik Pandya's case is very simple. Why would you punish him if he has not made a mistake? He is not playing red-ball cricket. That ambition or aspiration does not exist anymore. He has not said that as such, but the truth is that he is not available at all for any Test series," Chopra said on his YouTube Channel. IANS
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