After being demoted from Grade A to Grade B in the 2015/16 contracts, Suresh Raina would have been even more disappointed now that he doesn’t feature in BCCI’s Grade A, B or C contracts for 2016/17. The all-rounder wasn’t picked for the Deodhar Trophy and his chances of playing in the ICC Champions Trophy in June look slim.
Extra Cover: BCCI releases new contracts for Team India, Jadeja promoted to Grade A
But the fact that he hasn't been awarded a BCCI central contract shouldn't dash his hopes of playing for his country. After all, just last year, there were several players, both established players, and newbies who came through and became regulars in the side without a central contract to their name.
Hardik Pandya didn’t have a central BCCI contract in 2015/16 but has been an integral part of India’s limited-overs squad. Here are 5 players who played for India despite having no contract in 2015/16:
#5 Gautam Gambhir
There can be little doubt that Gautam Gambhir is one of India’s finest openers. However, despite his contribution to India’s two World titles in 2007 and 2011, international cricket seemed to have passed him by and he had to be content with leading Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.
After all, his last T20I was in 2012 and ODI was in 2013 and the format that he most likely looked to be selected for as well, Tests, also seemed beyond him after KL Rahul and Murali Vijay had established themselves as a solid opening pair. But the opener's ability to continuously churn out runs helped him make a comeback.
But in 2016, he made a comeback to Test cricket after two years. Although he played only two Tests and was only called in due to injury concerns that loomed over Rahul and Vijay, he still made a fifty and is still in the reckoning for a Test spot should another injury arise.
#4 Jasprit Bumrah
Playing along with Lasith Malinga for Mumbai Indians certainly seems to have helped Jasprit Bumrah. The fast bowler hadn’t played an international game when 2016 began but by the end of the year, he had established himself as a regular in both the Indian ODI and T20I side.
He might not have gotten off the mark as a batsman in international cricket after 35 matches, but with the ball in his hand, the 23-year-old has proved to be the bowler India have always been looking for, someone who is consistent at the death overs in limited-overs.
Despite not playing a single Test, only two Indian bowlers picked up more wickets in 2016 than Bumrah, who got 45 to his name in his maiden year as an international player. But the biggest positive from Bumrah hasn’t just been his ability to pick up wickets, it is his ability to nail yorkers and bowl economically despite being used predominantly as a death bowler.
#3 Parthiv Patel
At the start of 2016, Parthiv Patel must not have fancied his chances of playing for India again. Not only had it been six years since his last Test but he hadn’t played for India in any format since 2012 when he played an ODI against Sri Lanka.
Consistent performances in the domestic circuit and an unfortunate injury to Wriddhiman Saha meant that the wicketkeeper got his chance once again. He might have only played two Tests against England before Saha made a swift comeback from injury, but he certainly made an impact in both games.
His four Test innings read 42, 67*, 15 and 71. Two fifties in two Tests raised questions about whether he could replace Saha as the first-choice keeper in the Test side as well. But although that didn’t materialize, there can be little doubt that Parthiv’s international future looks a lot more promising now than it looked at the start of 2016.
#2 Ashish Nehra
At the age of 36(as of January 2016), few expected Ashish Nehra to make a comeback to the Indian team. Especially considering the fact that his last Test was in 2004, last ODI was in the 2011 World Cup and T20I was in January 2011. But impressive performances in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings mean that Ashish Nehra was back playing in India colors once again.
The left-arm pacer was included in India’s squad for the T20I series against Australia in January 2016. Although he didn’t catch the eye in the three matches he played down under, he certainly managed to ensure that he was an integral part of the Indian T20I set-up courtesy of his performances in the Asia Cup and the World T20.
At the age of 37, Nehra is still as fit as he has ever been and few would doubt his ability to carry on for another year or two in the shortest format of the game.
#1 Yuvraj Singh
If there is one player who is always in the hearts of every cricket fan, it is Yuvraj Singh. Apart from his match-winning abilities, he became a cult hero because of his resilient battle against cancer in which he emerged triumphant. So it was no surprise to see the fanfare which followed his recall to the Indian T20I side for the series against Australia in 2016.
After the Australia series, Yuvraj was an integral part of the Indian side who won the Asia Cup and reached the semi-final of the World T20. Although he injured himself during the tournament and missed a large part of the series, he was back in the ODI side as well before the end of the year.
Raina will hope to take confidence from Yuvraj’s return to both ODI and T20I squads in 2016 despite having no central contract to his name and make it back into the Indian side for the ICC Champions Trophy that will take place in June.
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