Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jadeja to be demoted in BCCI central contracts; Nitish Reddy, Abhishek new entries: Report

A few heads turned when BCCI announced the annual central contracts for the men's team the last time as it dropped Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan - two players fresh from India's 2023 World Cup campaign - for not complying with the board's request of playing domestic cricket. Chairman of sectors Ajit Agarkar put his put down, and the board had zero hesitation in scrapping Iyer and Kishan from the central contracts. With contacts up for renewal once again, expect pretty much the same, if not more. While Iyer is certain to get back his contract, the same cannot be confirmed for Kishan. India's Virat Kohli, right, and captain Rohit Sharma(AP)

If a report published in Dainik Jagran is believed, then the selectors could ring in more changes in the central contracts. Chief selector Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia are set to meet on March 29 in Guwahati to discuss India's probable squad for the England tour in June after the IPL. There, the stakeholders are also likely to finalise the central contracts for the men's team.

Notably, the women's team contracts were announced last week after a meeting. The report added that the selection committee is divided about the future of some of India's big stars. It didn't mention any names, but the indication was for captain Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja are currently in the A+ category of the annual contract system, which is the highest and generally reserved for players who represent the country in all formats. Now that Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja have retired from T20Is, they should ideally be demoted to the A category.

News agency PTI reported that a consensus has not been reached on Rohit as an automatic choice for captaincy. Jasprit Bumrah's fitness status is an issue and so does the lack of a distinct leadership prospect in the next line of young Indian players.

Rohit was under pressure to perform in Dubai, as a 1-3 series defeat in Australia accentuated his poor form. But the triumphant run in the UAE has certainly given the skipper breathing space and elbow room.

But the question remains if the national selection committee will consider success in the ODI format while deciding on the more challenging Test format, where the returns have been modest of late.

Kohli's form in the longest format has not been great either. According to the Jagran report, top board officials have already given a brief idea to the selection committee about resisting Kohli and Rohit's central contracts as their future in red-ball cricket appears uncertain.

Multiple changes in central contracts; Abhishek, Nitish, Rana confirmed new entries

As things stand now, only Bumrah appears to be certain to retain his A+ category central contract. ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill (earlier in the A category) might be promoted to the top category while Yashavi Jaiswal (earlier in the B category) could jump to the A set. Another player who could get a promotion from B category to A is all-rounder Axar Patel.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Abhishek Sharma are confirmed to be new entries in the C category, which requires a cricketer to represent India in a minimum of 3 Tests or 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period. Ruturaj Gaikwad might find it tough to hold on to his position in the C category as the last match he played for India was in July 2024.

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