Former India Opener Wasim Jaffer Has a Suggestion for the BCCI

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has many records to his name in the domestic circuit. But his contribution is not just restricted to batting, as he led Vidarbha to twin Ranji Trophy titles too, a team that wasn't known for its cricketing legacy. In an interaction on Sports Tiger’s show ‘Off the Field’ hosted by Vedant Sharma, Jaffer said that the players who are not centrally contracted, should be allowed to play in leagues overseas.

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“It completely makes sense to me. If you are not one of the centrally contracted players then one should be allowed. The board can minimize and reduce it to one or two leagues in which the players can participate but not letting any Indian player play anything other than IPL is a bit strict in my opinion," Jaffer said.

Jaffer also talked about the time when he was about to make a comeback on the international scene, if not for Shikhar Dhawan's inclusion at the top of the order. “In 2012-13, I was very close to getting selected when Shikhar Dhawan got selected. So, I came very close a couple of times but somehow I missed the bus.” He also added, “The selectors are the best people who can answer that but I definitely kept knocking the door.”

“I wasn't that consistent. If I was, I would have played more than 100 Test matches. I was not that consistent at the international level that is why I got dropped. I am famous for my first-class career more than the international cricket that I have played.”

Talking about the domestic structure in India, he said, “Our domestic structure as compared to the other countries isn’t bad, to be honest. We just need a little bit more continuity as every year we keep on changing the structure.”

He further added, “I feel the season should start in October with the Ranji Trophy. It should be ideally followed by the Irani Trophy and after that, a T20 tournament like Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy can be put in place as it is the time when the auction happens. A number of franchise people can see the tournament and scout new talent. Finally, finish the season with Vijay Hazare Trophy.”

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“I feel we can get away with Duleep Trophy and it’s about time that we don’t play Duleep Trophy and use that one and a half months to give the players a little more break.”