The idea to introduce a new grading system for team India’s central grade contracts with the BCCI seems to have emanated from skipper Virat Kohli and stalwart MS Dhoni.
On Wednesday, the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which was appointed by the Supreme Court to overlook the workings of the BCCI, announced a new central contract grading system for team India.
The revised system sees the introduction of a new top-grade called ‘A+’.
The new grade is worth rupees 70 million ($1m) per annum and its first beneficiaries include Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
“This suggestion originated from Virat and MS (Dhoni) in the discussions. Their logic was this category would have only players featuring in all three formats, players who are in the top-10 rankings. They wanted a category of pure excellence where you perform and you are rewarded. And hence the players would not occupy a permanent slot in this category because if you don’t perform then you slip down the order,” CoA head Vinod Rai was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
The likes of Rohit Sharma find themselves in the new category.
The idea to hike players’ salaries considerably had originated during Anil Kumble’s tenure as the India head coach and he, along with Kohli, is said to have advocated a 150 per cent rise in the wages offered to players.
Test specialists such as Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have been bracketed in the second highest category (A) which is worth rupees 50 million per annum.
The revised contract grading has divided opinion in the cricketing fraternity with many arguing that it rewards white-ball specialists over players who specialise in the five-day format.