Ravindra Jadeja likely to be rewarded with Grade A contract, says reports

What’s the story?

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is set to be rewarded with a promotion of sorts. He will be in all probability be elevated to Grade A in the Central Contracts which will be finalized when the Committee of Administrators (COA) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) assemble for a two-day meeting in Delhi, says reports.

Currently the 28-year-old holds a Grade B contract under the BCCI.

In case you did not know

Jadeja has been in prime form off late. The Saurashtra man has been getting to crucial fifties and then picking up a bagful of wickets with the red leather. In Tests especially Jadeja has come good whenever his team has needed him. In the three games against Australia so far he has taken 21 wickets and scored 64 runs from 5 innings.

Prior to that in the series against England, he bagged 26 scalps in five matches and scored a 90 and two crucial fifties in times of crisis.

Therefore his stocks have soared in the last few months and with a lot more series coming up, he will be quite a key member of the Indian side for the next 12 months.

The heart of the matter

His illustrious showing with the ball has helped him now to overtake his colleague Ravichandran Ashwin in the ICC Rankings.

Therefore one would expect the committee to reward him with a Grade a contract for his recent form. The agenda for the two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday will be Central Contracts, fees of support staff, and women’s cricket.

However, apart from the allrounder’s promotion there aren’t going to be too many changes in the contract list. The Support staff is unlikely to get a hefty hike.

There also seems to be a division of opinion on whether centrally contracted players like Cheteswhar Pujara and Ishant Sharma will have a hike in their salary since they have had no takers in the Indian Premier League (IPL)

But whether the COA, which is a temporary body, will eventually take such an important call is not known.

What’s next?

We have to wait and see if Jadeja does get the Grade A contract after the meeting which ends tomorrow. The hike in pay might boost his confidence for the remainder of the season as India travel to England for the Champions Trophy in June.

Sportskeeda’s take

Given the hard work Jadeja has put in for winning games for his side, he deserves a Grade A contract now. We, however hope he can continue delivering for India in the next few years just like he has been.