Last year, there were many players who were included in BCCI’s contract list. However, considering it is a transition period for the side, many cricketers are not even in the picture. On that note, here, we take a look at three players in the 2023 BCCI contract list who are nowhere near the squad.
Note: We have not considered Rishabh Pant as he was not fit for playing.
1) Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan had hopes of playing in the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill doing well, Shikhar did not have a chance. Also, India needed a backup keeper more than a backup opener in the final squad.
Nevertheless, Shikhar has taken this well and has been practising for IPL 2024. It will be an important tournament for him to do well so that he can make one last effort to get into the Indian Team.
2) Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda is one of the players in the 2023 BCCI contract list but is nowhere near the squad. After the start he had, many expected Deepak to take Virat Kohli’s place in the T20I side. However, Deepak Hooda just could not cement his place in the side.
The biggest mistake for him was not doing well in IPL 2023. He had a really poor outing and he was even dropped from the LSG squad. That said, the management has backed him and the player was retained. It will be up to Deepak now to perform well for the side in IPL 2024.
3) Umesh Yadav
In Umesh’s case, it was more of transitioning to a new era of younger pacers. As a part of this, the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep made their Test debut.
Even in the absence of Mohammed Shami, the management did not go for Umesh. This shows that they have now moved past him with regards to the Test side.
