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India head coach Rahul Dravid shared a message for out-of-favour batters Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan that they need to get fit, play and force selectors to 'pick them again'.
Last month, Iyer and Jaiswal were "not considered" for the BCCI annual contracts in this round of recommendations. After both players were snubbed from the contracts, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah highlighted the importance of domestic cricket forms and stated that "non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications." Kishan has yet to feature for India in any format since opting out of the South Africa series last year. Shreyas was selected for the first two tests but got dropped for the remaining three matches. He opted out of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy quarter-final clash against Baroda due to back spasms and failed to make an impression in the semi-final against Tamil Nadu. "They're always in the mix. Everyone who's playing domestic cricket is in the mix. Firstly, I don't decide contracts, right? Contracts are decided by the selectors and the board. I don't even know what the criteria are. I'm involved in - people ask me my opinion on the 15, and me and Rohit select the XI. That's how it works," Dravid said in the post-match press conference after India's victory in the fifth Test on Saturday. "We've never discussed whether somebody has a contract or not, whether he's going to be selected in the 15. There are enough examples of people playing different formats of the game, whether they have contracts or not. I don't even know sometimes what the list of the contracted players is, when we take these decisions, discussions on the 15 or the playing 11 for that matter. No one's out of the picture, no one's out of the mix, it's just a question of hopefully them getting back and fit, playing cricket, and forcing the selectors to pick them again," he added. Dravid went on to acknowledge the efforts of his players which have contributed to India's dominant run at home. The last time India lost a Test series at home was in 2012 against England when the spin duo of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann inspired the visitors to a famous 2-1 series win. "Obviously defeats in India have been rare and I would like to acknowledge and credit players for that. It is not easy sometimes we just take it for granted and I think especially what is heartening is over the last 10 years India has had this dominance and has been able to string together successful series and not lose a lot of Test matches," Dravid said. He went on to talk about how the landscape of Test cricket has changed over the years. He pointed out how it has become hard for teams as foreign players are becoming more familiar and the exposure that they get to the Indian conditions. "In spite of the fact that the exposure that the foreign players get in this country compared to what they would get in the 90s, 80s even in the early 2000s before the IPL is not comparable. A lot of foreign players come here to spend time in this country and a lot of them are here for two and a half months. I know it is a different format but it is about familiarity and getting used to these conditions it is about knowing the country, in the past a lot of teams didn't get that opportunity we don't get that opportunity our young boys don't spend two months in Australia before they go there," Dravid said. "English players and Australian players spend a lot of time here so that has made it a lot easier but in spite of that we have been able to maintain our record and maintain our standards is a real tribute to the players and the way that they have performed and the skills they are continuing to show. It is not easy sometimes I feel some people take it for granted but I think we also need to recognise the quality and the hard work that the people are putting in to maintain these standards when it is getting tougher to be able to do that," he added. (ANI)
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