Kishan, Iyer's exclusion from central contracts was chief selector Agarkar's call: Jay Shah
Mumbai, May 10: The exclusion of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the list of centrally-contracted players was a decision that was solely taken by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has revealed, asserting that "nobody is indispensable".
Kishan and Iyer were left out after failing to show up for domestic engagements despite a directive from the BCCI. While Kishan went on a long break after the end of the ODI World Cup last year and remained unavailable until the IPL, Iyer eventually did feature in a few matches for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy including the semifinal and the final.
However, Iyer still found himself at the receiving end after it emerged that he had attended a Kolkata Knight Riders' camp in Mumbai when his domestic side was busy playing a Ranji Trophy fixture.
"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 here 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.
Shah reiterated the Board's position that Indian players will have to prioritise domestic cricket.
In the days leading up to the contract snub, Shah had stated before the third Test between India and England in February this year that he would completely back the chief selector's decision for any action on players who do not comply with the Indian captain and team management's requirement for participation in domestic cricket.
Shah said he spoke with the players after their exclusion.
"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," Shah continued.
Talking about high scores in this year's IPL, Shah said ultimately, it comes down to who is playing well and who, as a player, 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 Titans.
"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.
While there have been a few media reports mentioning an increase in the match fees for domestic players in the country, Shah said there is no such plan.
"We have increased the pay anyway and also incentivised Test cricket. We had increased the pay by 100 per cent in 2022," Shah added.
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Sambit Patra's remarks on Lord Jagannath draw flak, says it was 'slip of tongue'
New Delhi, May 20: The Congress, BJD and AAP on Monday accused BJP leader and its Puri candidate Sambit Patra of insulting Lord Jagannath and hurting the sentiments of devotees with his remarks, which Patra said were a "slip of the tongue".
The Congress shared a video of Patra speaking in Odiya and slammed his remarks that "Mahaprabhu Lord Shri Jagannath is a devotee of Narendra Modi", demanding that Prime Minister Modi apologise for the same. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik also condemned Patra's comments and asked the "BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse".
Amid uproar over his words, Patra took to X and said he spoke to multiple media channels after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Puri where he mentioned that "Modi ji is an ardent Bhakt of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu .. by mistake during one of the bytes I pronounced just the opposite (sic)".
"I know you too know and understand this... Sir let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue... we all have “slip of the tongue sometimes”," Patra said in response to a post by Patnaik.
But the opposition parties latched on to the remarks, denouncing them as an "insult" to Lord Jagannath.
"BJP leader Sambit Patra saying that Mahaprabhu Lord Shri Jagannath is a devotee of Narendra Modi. This is a grave insult to Mahaprabhu. This statement has hurt the faith of crores of devotees," the Congress said on its X handle.
"Sambit Patra, who is immersed in Modi Bhakti, should not have committed this sin. Narendra Modi should apologise for this disgusting statement," the party said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said it reinforces "our charge that a BJP, drunk with power, will not even spare our Gods, let alone India’s people".
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also said in a post on X in Hindi, "When the prime minister starts considering himself as an emperor and his courtiers start considering him as God, then it is clear that the downfall of the 'Lanka of sin' is near."
"Who gave a handful of BJP people the right to hurt the sentiments of crores of people? This ego is becoming the cause of their destruction," Gandhi said.
BJD leader and Odisha CM Patnaik in a post on X said, "Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world."
"The Lord is the greatest Symbol of Odia Asmita. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is totally condemnable.
"I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri Lok Sabha candidate and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this, you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by the people of Odisha for a very long time," Patnaik said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the remarks by Patra reflect the "arrogance" of BJP leaders.
"They have started thinking that they are above God. This is the height of arrogance. Calling God bhakt of Modi ji is an insult to God."
Congress in-charge for Odisha, Ajoy Kumar also said in a post, "The country and Odisha will not tolerate this insult of Lord Jagannath ji!."
"Will the media ask any question to Sambit Patra? Where are those journalists with the 7 pm agenda? Where have those Hindutva organisations gone," he asked.
जब प्रधानमंत्री खुद को शहंशाह और दरबारी उन्हें भगवान समझने लगें तो मतलब साफ है कि पाप की लंका का पतन नज़दीक है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 20, 2024
करोड़ों लोगों की आस्था को चोट पहुंचाने का अधिकार मुट्ठी भर भाजपा के लोगों को आखिर किसने दिया?
यह अहंकार ही उनके विनाश का कारण बन रहा है।
Naveen Ji Namaskar!
— Sambit Patra (Modi Ka Parivar) (@sambitswaraj) May 20, 2024
I gave number of bytes today to multiple media channels after the massive success of Shri Narendra Modiji’s Road Show in Puri today, everywhere I mentioned that Modi ji is an ardent “Bhakt” of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu ..by mistake during one of the bytes I… https://t.co/6Q1Kuj5E6O
