Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane to face demotion in BCCI central contract
Senior Test batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are likely to be demoted in the BCCI central contract list in the wake of their recent performances. Rahane and Pujara have not been in the best of form which has casted doubts on their place in the playing XI.
Incidentally, Rahane and Pujara were offered a Grade A contract by BCCI in 2021, with a salary of Rs 5 crore each (INR 50 millions). As per a report in Times of India, the two will be demoted to Grade B due to their low returns with the bat. The players in Grade B have a salary of Rs 3 crore each (INR 30 millions). In addition, as per the report, veteran pacers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are also likely to be dropped from the contract list.
Cheteshwar Pujara has gone without a century since 2019 while Ajinkya Rahane last scored a hundred when he lifted India’s morale with an outstanding knock at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after a humiliation in Adelaide in 2020-21.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who represents India across all formats will not get promotion anytime soon. They were likely to get a promotion to Grade A+ category, however, TOI claims that is unlikely to happen. Currently, only three cricketers are in the Grade A+ category that includes Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah.
India will now gear up for the upcoming limited-overs series against West Indies after a disastrous series against South Africa. The three-match ODI series will commence on February 6 in Ahmedabad followed by the same number of T20Is.
India’s ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan.
