Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly says that he was surprised to see players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan not participating in domestic cricket as they have been dropped from the national squad.
Amid the row around their non-participation in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, India internationals Iyer and Kishan were excluded from the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) central contracts on Wednesday.
Earlier, Iyer was ruled out of the quarterfinal of the Ranji Trophy which was held on February 23.
Kishan, however, skipped Ranji Trophy matches recently despite not featuring for the national team. He was in the Indian squad for the South Africa Test series squad last year but pulled out due to 'personal reasons'.
He last played a T20I for India in November last year, sitting out Ranji matches featuring Jharkhand.
The 51-year-old asserted that the BCCI wants the players to play first-class cricket and all the players are supposed to play in Ranji Trophy as it is a premier tournament.
"I think the BCCI wants them to play first class cricket. I am surprised why Shreyas Iyer has not played Ranji Trophy. It is a premier tournament and you are supposed to play. So, it is a decision by BCCI and what they have thought right they have done. Every contracted cricketer must play first class cricket because that is the basic premise of cricket in this country," Ganguly told Revsportz.
The former BCCI president further stated that he was surprised with Kishan's decision to not play in the Ranji Trophy.
"You are supposed to play first class cricket. Once you are a contracted player, you are expected to play the Premier tournament. Shreyas Iyer is playing the semi-final for Mumbai in a couple of days' time. Yes, they are young people and Ishan has surprised me. He was part of the Indian team in all formats. Such a big contract in IPL. I don't know why he has done that. You must play especially when you are as gifted as Ishan Kishan. When you are playing for India in all formats, you must play. I was surprised by his decision not to," the former left-hand opener added.
