Indian skipper Virat Kohli is in the news again, but this time for something really good. Before India left for the Champions Trophy, Kohli had asked the BCCI to consider a special compensation package for those players that represent India in only one format of the game.
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Players such as Pujara get to play only one format, and hence their compensation needs to adjusted accordingly. Many youngsters get to play only T20 cricket which is another issue that needs to be solved as it is not fair for them to be on the same page as the ones that represent India in all three formats of the game.
Kohli’s concern was that the youngsters that play in the IPL get taken care of, but the ones that play only Test matches and Ranji Trophy games do not have that luxury.
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And now the BCCI have accepted Kohli’s request and will look to create a new financial plan for such cricketers. This is what a senior BCCI official had to say,
“Just prior to the Champions Trophy, then head coach Anil Kumble had proposed a pay hike plan for centrally contracted player that also spoke about the captain getting paid extra for his role as leader. ”
“That is when Anirudh spoke to Kohli about the matter as it was hard to believe that a team-man like Kohli would be on the same page as Kumble on the captain getting paid extra for discharging the captain’s responsibility. ”
“In fact, Kohli went on to say that every player’s interest should be taken care of, but especially those who play just one format should be priority.”
“Anirudh and Kohli’s thought process definitely match and he has come out with this proposal which not only looks at the interest of players like Cheteshwar Pujara — only plays the Test format — but also of Ranji Trophy players. It is an issue that was also brought up by Harbhajan Singh as he saw the poor pay structure in domestic cricket,” the official said.
