Rohit, Virat remain in top bracket; Kishan, Iyer dropped from BCCI central contracts
New Delhi, Feb 28: Skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli retained their place in the top bracket but the out-of-favour duo of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were excluded after ignoring the directive to play Ranji Trophy as the BCCI unveiled its centrally-contracted players for this year on Wednesday.
Rohit, Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja figured in the A plus category, the highest bracket of the BCCI's central contracts list.
"Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations," said the BCCI in a statement.
"The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team," the statement added.
Six cricketers feature in the A category, including R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya.
Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Yashasvi Jaiswal have got B category contracts.
As many as 15 have been handed C category contracts including Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Rajat Patidar.
The selection committee has also recommended fast bowling contracts for Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa.
Akash Deep had impressed on debut in the recent fourth Test against England, which India won to seal the series.
In a departure from the norm, the BCCI this time has not mentioned the remuneration of the players across the four categories.
Cricketers are normally paid Rs 7 crore per annum in A plus bracket, Rs 5 crore in A, Rs 3 crore in B and Rs one crore in C category, over and above their match fees.
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Modi expresses deep sadness over Khaleda Zia's death
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed deep sadness over the death of his former Bangladesh counterpart Khaleda Zia, saying her contributions towards the development of the neighbouring country, as well as India-Bangladesh relations, will always be remembered.
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"Deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. Our sincerest condolences to her family and all the people of Bangladesh. May the Almighty grant her family the fortitude to bear this tragic loss," Modi wrote on X.
"I recall my warm meeting with her in Dhaka in 2015. We hope that her vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership. May her soul rest in peace," he said.
The three-time prime minister of Bangladesh breathed her last early Tuesday while receiving treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. She was 80.
Zia, the first female prime minister of Bangladesh, played a major role in restoring democracy in the country after a period of tumultuous military rule. She went on to dominate the country's politics for decades.
