Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma likely to face the axe from central contracts in 2022-23

India are going to play a two-match Test series against Bangladesh after losing the ODI series 2-1. The Test squad has seen some changes at the last minute due to injuries to Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami. There have been a few young guns that have been added to the Test squad. Cheteshwar Pujara has also been given the Test vice-captaincy.

While a lot of changes in the Test team have happened, there are certain changes that will happen in the central contracts for the Indian  side. In a big move, the Indian Cricket Board in all probability will take out the Test specialists who have been out of favour such as Ishant Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane from the Indian Central contracts.

Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav are likely to get promoted when the list for the 2022-2023 season comes out. The list will be zeroed in at the apex council meeting which will take place on December 21. Hardik Pandya is likely to get a promotion from Group C to Group B.

These changes are expected to take place in a meeting via video conference

The meeting will be held through video conference and there will be a 12-point agenda that will be discussed. This will be the major point of discussion. Rahane and Ishant will be out of the central contracts list as they are not on the selectors radar. Keeper Batter Wriddhiman Saha will also not feature on the list as he will no longer represent India in Tests.

An A+ contract offers Rs. 7 crore INR, Group A Rs. 5 crore INR, Group B Rs. 3 crore INR and Group C offers Rs. 1 crore to the cricketers. A lot of parameters are used by the Indian Cricket Board along with national selectors to determine the basis for grading.

 A+ and A are two categories where the players play in all formats, or they are a certainty in Tests along with playing in ODIs or T20s. To be in Group B, a cricketer has to play at least two formats while group C is primarily for players who play in one format. Also, one needs to play a specific number of international matches (per format) for inclusion in the list. The promotion however is based on performance and Cricket Governing Body rankings are also taken into account.

Gill, who now plays in two formats (Tests and ODIs) can expect a promotion from Group C to B. When it comes to Ishan Kishan, who has played sizable number of international matches across two formats in 2022, is likely to be in the list.