BCCI considering to triple Test and first-class match fees to match IPL salaries after discussions with Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly considering tripling the match fees for Test and first-class matches to incentivize red-ball cricket for players. According to The Times of India, the board has also held discussions with captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for the same.

The development comes after BCCI released the new contracts for 2023-24 which didn't include the names of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. Both players were under recent scrutiny for missing the Ranji Trophy. While Ishan had opted for a break from cricket last year but was practicing in Gujarat, Shreyas told his team he had a bout with back spasms, even though the National Cricket Academy (NCA) declared him fit.

In their case too, the BCCI had reportedly felt that they were giving more importance to being fit for the lucrative IPL instead of appearing for their state teams. The board secretary, Jay Shah, had even warned them of 'severe implications' if this was to continue, which was perhaps seen in the contracts.

"The recommendations are on the lines of increasing the Test match and first-class fees by three times," TOI quoted a BCCI source as saying. "The idea is that if a player plays the entire Ranji Trophy, he should be able to make around Rs 75 lakhs which matches an average IPL contract. It has also been suggested that if a player plays all Test matches in a year, he should be able to make Rs 15 crores which is at par for any marquee IPL contract.

"The board may not agree to increasing the remuneration by three times at one go but they are considering meeting the players at mid-point. Even that should be a hefty raise. This is why the board has not announced the value of contracts. The board will have to decide if it wants to raise the match fees or make specified contracts accordingly," the source added.

Currently, playing the Ranji Trophy for the entire year gives players a remuneration of around ₹25 lakh, which is only a fraction above the base price in IPL auctions. The fee for each Test, meanwhile is, ₹15 lakh.

The report said the BCCI feels the quality of the Ranji Trophy has dropped in recent years, with several players opting out of the competition, which has affected India's red-ball pool.

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"You come to know the players who don't have that hunger" - Rohit Sharma before BCCI contract announcement

Talk of red-ball cricket preference also reached skipper Rohit Sharma during the Test series against England. He responded by declaring that his team would only consider players who have the 'hunger' for the longest format.

"This [Test cricket] is the toughest format," Rohit said after India won the fourth Test against England in Ranchi to take an unassailable 3-1 lead. "And if you want success and want to excel in this tough format then you need that hunger. It is very important. We will give opportunity only to players who have that hunger. You come to know [easily] the players who don't have that hunger, [or] players who don't want to stay here [and play this format]. We come to know that," he said.

India, who currently lead the five-match series by a 3-1 margin, will meet England in the dead-rubber in Dharamshala on February 7.