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Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed BCCI's decision to star duo Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from central contracts.

Kishan has been out of action since pulling out of the Test squad during the South Africa tour in December 2023. Iyer, on the other hand, was declared fit to play by NCA, having complained of back stiffness, but did not feature for either India or his domestic side Mumbai.

While the BCCI did not reveal the reason behind the decision to axe Kishan and Iyer from central contracts, reports have claimed that the selection could be due to their non-participation in domestic cricket.

"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.

Ganguly also opined the contracted players should play first-class cricket and he was surprised by their decisions.

"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," he added.