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'He Is India's All-Format Player' - KKR Coach Backs Shreyas Iyer Following Contract Snub

Iyer has been excluded from India's central contracts list [X.com]Iyer has been excluded from India's central contracts list [X.com]

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit backed the franchise's skipper and Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer to bounce back after a controversial contract snub faced by the player from the BCCI. 

Iyer was one of the two major absentees from the Indian board's central contracts list for the 2023-24 period, a decision taken by the BCCI in view of the Mumbaikar's reluctance to play domestic first-class cricket despite communication from the team management and the selectors. 

Notably, the 29-year-old right-hander had turned up in the Ranji Trophy earlier in the season versus Andhra and is also due to play the semifinal. 

However, he had refuted the call for him to play the quarterfinal game following his axe from the Test squad after the first two Tests against England. 


KKR Head Coach Backs Shreyas Iyer 

"It’s surprising that Shreyas was not considered for the annual contracts, because he is India’s all-format player. We don’t know the reason, but I think he should walk into the pool of India’s contracted players," Pandit said in an interview with Mid-Day. 

"He could have definitely fitted in any Grade. Knowing Shreyas, I don’t think it will affect him. He will definitely fight and perform. He has that fighting spirit," he added. 

Iyer's contractual ouster resulted in widespread debates and discussions since fans and prominent experts felt the batter had been treated harshly and that such a call could've been avoided with a warning or greater communication between the player and the decision-makers. 

Not long ago, the solid right-hander was integral to India's stellar run at the ICC World Cup 2023 and made a whopping 530 runs with two hundreds in his 11 matches for the country.