Me and Rohit don't decide contracts, we only select playing XI: Dravid on Iyer, Kishan omission
Dharamsala, Mar 9: The future of out of favour cricketers Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan has been debated loudly after BCCI omitting them from the central contract list, but India head coach Rahul Dravid on Saturday refused to close the door on them.
Kishan has not played any cricket after skipping the two-Test series against South Africa but he has been preparing for IPL along with Mumbai Indians' teammate Hardik Pandya at a private centre in Baroda.
Despite BCCI's stern directive to play domestic matches, Shreyas opted out of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy quarterfinal citing back spasms.
But he played in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu and is scheduled to appear in the final against Vidarbha from Sunday.
"They are always in the mix. Nobody is out of picture. Everyone who's playing domestic cricket is in the mix. It's just a question of, hopefully, them getting back and fit, playing cricket, and forcing the selectors to pick them again."
However Dravid steered cleared when the sensitive issue of central contract cropped up.
"I don't decide contracts, right? Contracts are decided by the selectors and the board. I don't even know what is the criteria (for inclusion). Me and Rohit select the (playing) 11. We have never discussed whether somebody has a contract or not. I don't even know what the list of the contracted players is," said Dravid in the post-match press-conference.
After India bagged the five-match series against England 4-1, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced a 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' for players appearing in more red-ball cricket for the country.
Dravid hoped that the players would look at it as a reward for their hard work rather than another source to earn money.
"I really hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Test cricket. It's just the hard work and how tough Test cricket can be is being recognised.
"So, I wouldn't see it as an incentive to make people play Test cricket, I hope not. But it is nice that the BCCI is recognizing it. I think it is a reward, not an incentive," said the former Indian skipper.
He then proceeded to cite the example of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to validate his point.
"It takes a special person to do what Ashwin has done (rejoining the team after a personal emergency), to play 100 Tests, you go through a lot. We don't celebrate 100 T20Is in the same way, do we?
"It's only when you get here that you realise that sometimes it's quite tough, but it is extremely satisfying (to play Tests). If they are well supported and well documented, I am sure there will be a lot of people still wanting to play Test cricket," said Dravid.
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Veteran journalist, filmmaker Pritish Nandy passes away at 73
Mumbai, Jan 8: Veteran journalist, poet and filmmaker Pritish Nandy passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday, sources close to him said.
Nandy (73) died after a cardiac arrest at his home in south Mumbai and his last rites were performed in the evening, they said.
In a social media post, veteran actor and Nandy's friend Anupam Kher paid glowing tributes to him.
"Deeply deeply saddened and shocked to know about the demise of one of my dearest and closest friends #PritishNandy! Amazing poet, writer, filmmaker and a brave and unique editor/journalist!" Kher wrote.
"He was my support system and a great source of strength in my initial days in Mumbai. We shared lots of things in common. He was also one of the most fearless people I had come across. Always Larger than life. I learnt so many things from him. Off-late we didn’t meet much. But there was a time when we were inseparable! I will never forget when he surprised me by putting me on the cover of Filmfare and more importantly The Illustrated Weekly," Kher added.
Nandy was a former Rajya Sabha member of the Shiv Sena and also an animal rights advocate.
His company, Pritish Nandy Communications, made films like 'Sur', 'Kaante', 'Jhankaar Beats', 'Chameli', 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', and 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects' and also produced the web series 'Four More Shots Please!'
Nandy wrote around 40 books of poetry in English and translated poems from Bengali, Urdu, and Punjabi into English.
Deeply deeply saddened and shocked to know about the demise of one of my dearest and closest friends #PritishNandy! Amazing poet, writer, filmmaker and a brave and unique editor/journalist! He was my support system and a great source of strength in my initial days in Mumbai. We… pic.twitter.com/QYshTlFNd2
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) January 8, 2025
