India recorded a huge win against England in the fifth Test in Dharamsala to conclude the five-match series with a statement 4-1 win on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma-led Indian side recorded a sensational comeback after a loss in the series opener in Hyderabad. With the likes of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami missing the series, the youngsters stepped up to showcase their talent on the biggest stage.
Five cricketers, including Srafaraz Khan, made their Test debut for India throughout the series and made an impressive impact to justify their selection. After the series win, the BCCI announced a staggering incentives scheme to further promote red-ball cricket in India.
Rahul Dravid welcomed the BCCI's new scheme to reward Test players and also shared his thoughts on the annual central contracts released last month. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were among seven star cricketers to lose out on their contracts.
Both Shreyas and Ishan were reportedly excluded from the contracts for showing lack of respect to red-ball cricket and are now facing uncertainty on their future in the national team.
However, Dravid revealed that both Shreyas and Ishan are in the mix for the national team selection while answering questions in the post-match press conference in Dharamsala. Dravid said that everyone playing domestic cricket is up for the selection and added that he never considers whether they have contracts or not.
"They're (Shreyas and Ishan) always in the mix," Dravid said in the presser. "Everyone who's playing domestic cricket is in the mix. Firstly, I don't decide contracts, right? Contracts are decided by the selectors and the board. I don't even know what the criteria are. I'm involved in - people ask me my opinion on the 15, and me and Rohit select the XI. That's how it works.
"We've never discussed whether somebody has a contract or not, whether he's going to be selected in the 15. There are enough examples of people playing different formats of the game, whether they have contracts or not. I don't even know sometimes what the list of the contracted players is, when we take these decisions, discussions on the 15 or the playing 11 for that matter. No one's out of the picture, no one's out of the mix, it's just a question of hopefully them getting back and fit, playing cricket, and forcing the selectors to pick them again."
