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Team India has been in the news not for the right reasons lately. While there was a dramatic turn of events at the end of which Virat Kohli is no longer the captain in any format, they haven't been in winning form either. What has caught undivided attention is the middle order of the team that has contributed to the opposition's benefit in the series. Amidst this, netizens heavily trolled senior batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara for not being able to contribute to the squad and getting cheaply dismissed by the Proteas bowling unit. As usual, commentators, ex-cricketers and people associated with the cricket fraternity went on to help the BCCI select emerging youngsters and seniors like the duo being benched.
In a major development now, according to reports, the BCCI might have decided to demote Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane from their annual contracts. Owing to all these factors, BCCI is set to demote them to Grade B category from Group A. The draft of central contracts for the period October 2021-September 2022 has been ready for some months now. The formal announcement is likely to be made soon. Besides Pujara and Rahane, veteran pacer Ishant Sharma is also likely to receive a Grade B contract for not being able to contribute along with the rest of the men in blue.
Final call will be taken soon: BCCI source
Further a source close to the BCCI has mentioned, "The draft was made after the T20 World Cup. A final call will be taken soon. Indian cricket has to move forward and performances of new players can’t be ignored," as quoted in the report carried by Times of India.
It may be noted that BCCI annual contracts are divided into four categories: A+, A, B and C worth INR 7 crore, 5 crore, 3 crore and 1 crore respectively. Based on the cricketers' performance in different leagues or tournaments they are promoted or demoted. Also, that after Virat Kohli's step down as captain from the formats and his snub there has been quite a significant changes within the Indian cricket team, management and selectors. Unfortunately, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli's saga also gained a lot of attention from the fans and netizens.