Did Kohli, Rohit Deserve Grade A+? 3 Major Talking Points From BCCI's Central Contract

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - (Source : @johns/X.com)

On Monday, April 21, BCCI finally revealed the central contract list. 34 players were awarded with the central contract and the likes of Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana, and Abhishek Sharma earned their first contract. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan too made a comeback.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah retained their spots in the A+ Category, while 19 players were included in grade C. The list got the fans talking as there were a few decisions by the BCCI that required explanation. Meanwhile, this article will look at three talking points in BCCI's central contract.

1. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli In Grade A+

Notably, the four categories in a central contract also offers different perks based on the category a player is placed in. Usually, A+ is category is reserved for players who feature in all formats and are the the biggest match-winners with key responsibilities on their shoulders such as being the captain or vice-captain of the team.

Till last year, the four players placed in Grade A+ made sense as all of them represented India in all three formats. However, Rohit, Virat, and Jadeja announced their T20I retirement. Thus, despite the three India stars being the match-winners, they being placed in grade A+ category was questionable. 

2.Shreyas Iyer Placed In Grade B

Five players were placed in grade B, which also marked the return of Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped from the central contract last time over a rift with BCCI. Looking at the five players, Grade B is a category, where players have dominated a particular format or two, but are not a part of the Indian set-up in all formats.

The category features the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, and Suryakumar Yadav, who are maestros of white-ball format, but are not in selection in Test cricket. However, Iyer's placement in grade B has got the fans talking.

Iyer has performed well in all formats as he was India's leading run-getter in Champions Trophy and also did well for Mumbai in domestic cricket. It is worth noting that Iyer led Mumbai to SMAT trophy, while he also scored centuries in Ranji Trophy.

However, his placement in grade B can also signify that the BCCI is not looking at Iyer for all three formats going ahead. Notably, Iyer's last T20I appearance for India came in 2023 and he also hasn't played Test cricket since February 2024. Thus, it is to be seen whether Shreyas would find a place in India's squad for upcoming England series or not. Lets look at his performance in the past year.

3. Rishabh Pant In Grade A, while SKY Placed In Grade B

Another major talking point from the contract list is Rishabh Pant being placed in Grade A. Notably, Pant is struggling for runs since his comeback and the fans questioned his Grade A category. 

Notably, Pant has featured in all three formats for India, but his lack of runs made fans question his placement over SKY, who is India's T20I captain. Lets Look at Pant's stats recently.

---

ALSO READ

BCCI Central Contract List 2024-25: All You Need To Know

---