Even towards the final quarter of 2023, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were pivotal members of the Indian cricket team, across formats. The former was arguably India's best batter at the 2023 World Cup as he put on the best-ever show by an India No.4 at a 50-over tournament. The latter, on the other hand, had slowly made his spot in the Test side as well amid the team then waiting for the return of Rishabh Pant. However, in February 2024, the two were not named in the Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2023-24 season.

Earlier in January this year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a diktat that all players, when not part of international action, will have to be part of domestic cricket. With the Ranji Trophy season underway then, BCCI's rule was aimed at the likes of Iyer, who was dropped from the Test side during the home series against England, and Ishan, who took mental health in December 2023.

Ishan, who represents Jharkhand, did not obey the orders, while Iyer was spotted in the KKR camp, leaving BCCI officials reportedly furious. The latter did join the Mumbai team and was part of both the semifinal and final, having reportedly recovered from a back injury, but BCCI had taken their call by then and removed both players from the Annual Retainership.

With India looking for a fresh start after last month's T20 World Cup haul, BCCI secretary Jay Shah reiterated the rule, clarifying that even star cricketers have to make themselves available for domestic engagements when they are free from national duty. However, there will be exceptions for the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.

The board would, however, want the remaining Test specialists to feature in at least one, if not a couple of Duleep Trophy games in August, as a precursor to the Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand. This could offer Ishan and Iyer a chance to make a comeback in the Test squad, given India will be playing 10 matches in the red-ball format this year, including the five-match series in Australia.

"This time there is no zonal selection committee for Duleep Trophy. Only national selection committee will pick Duleep teams. All Test team contenders will be picked. For Rohit, Virat and Bumrah, it will be their choice if they want to play or not," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

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