Sarfaraz Khan & Dhruv Jurel awarded with BCCI Central Contracts

Team India newcomers Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel were awarded the BCCI central contract with their names ratified during the Apex Council Meeting on March 18.

The duo will be part of Group C of the contract, meaning an annual retainership fee of ₹ 1 crore, having fulfilled the criteria of playing at least three Tests in a current season.

Both cricketers debuted for India in the third Test of the recently concluded England series at Rajkot. Sarfaraz scored half-centuries in both innings, while Jurel struck a well-compiled 46.

The former also scored a half-century in the final Test at Dharamsala and finished the series with 200 runs in three games at an average of 50.

Meanwhile, Jurel built on his debut performance with two stellar knocks in the fourth Test at Ranchi. With India in deep trouble in the first innings, the youngster scored a defiant 90 to reduce the deficit to a mere 46 runs.

Furthermore, Jurel added an unbeaten 39 in the final innings to help India chase 192 on a tricky wicket after coming in at 120/5. The 23-year-old scored 190 runs at an average of over 63 in his three Tests, with seven dismissals behind the wicket.

The pair helped India complete a 4-1 series win that took them atop the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) table.

BCCI mull scheduling changes to Ranji Trophy season

Apart from the contracts for Sarfaraz and Jurel, BCCI also considered changes to the Ranji Trophy calendar from the next season by not scheduling any matches in the northern part of the country during December and January.

Fog and bad light have played spoilsport in games at those venues during this period.

A senior BCCI source told the PTI:

"No decision has been taken yet but Ranji Trophy, like earlier years could start from mid or end October after the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which serves as an IPL auction platform. Some states are losing crucial points in do-or-die games because of inclement weather from mid-December to mid-February."

The last few Ranji seasons have started only in January, meaning several matches at Delhi, Kanpur, Jammu, and Dharamsala, among others, have suffered stoppages from bad light and fog.

Mumbai recently completed their 42nd Ranji Trophy triumph by defeating Vidarbha in the grand finale.