Picture Credit: BCCI
When the BCCI announced the annual contracts for Indian cricketers on April 15, there were a few surprises that left the fans confused. While Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj were rewarded for their impressive performances, Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey faced setbacks. However, one thing that shocked the fans was the exclusion of left-arm pacer T Natarajan from the contract list.
Why didn't T Natarajan get BCCI's central contract?
Natarajan certainly announced his arrival to the big stage with his spectacular performances for India Down Under. While he did deserve a BCCI contract, the left-arm pacer unfortunately did not meet the criteria to be eligible for the same. Natarajan has only played 1 Test, 2 ODIs and 4 T20Is for the country so far. To bag a BCCI contract, a player needs to play at least 3 Tests, 7 ODIs and 10 T20Is. This is the reason behind exclusion of all other youngsters including Suryakumar Yadav (3 T20Is) and Prasidh Krishna (3 ODIs).
Players can still receive contracts in September
There is a provision that if any cricketer meets the criteria by September 2021, they might get a BCCI contract and will be paid on pro-rata basis. While Virat Kohli's side won't be playing any limited-overs matches till then, T Natarajan can bag the contract if he features in at least two out of the six Tests (one against New Zealand, five against England) that India are scheduled to play before September.