Following India's commanding victory over England in the fifth and final Test at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, securing a resounding 4-1 series triumph, BCCI secretary Jay Shah unveiled the inception of the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' tailored for the senior men’s team.
This scheme aims to provide a financial boost to players who prioritize their commitment to Test cricket, supplementing the existing match fee of INR 15 lakh per match. Shah expressed his satisfaction with the initiative, stating, "I am delighted to introduce the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' for Senior Men, designed to foster financial growth and stability for our esteemed athletes."
Effective from the 2022-23 season onwards, the scheme introduces an additional reward structure on top of the existing match fee for Test matches. Shah, in a communication via his official channel, outlined the incentive structure, highlighting its benefits for players featuring in more than 50 percent of Tests in a given season since 2022/23.
Under this structure, players participating in five to six Tests in a nine-match season will receive INR 30 lakh per match as a playing eleven incentive, with INR 15 lakh allocated for those in the non-playing eleven. Furthermore, players engaged in at least 75 percent of matches, equivalent to seven or more matches in a nine-game season, will receive INR 45 lakh per match as a playing incentive, alongside INR 22.5 lakh for the non-playing eleven.
However, it's important to note that this incentive structure doesn't apply to players participating in fewer than four Tests in a season.
This initiative follows Shah's recent correspondence with centrally-contracted players, urging them not to prioritize the Indian Premier League (IPL) over domestic cricket matches, emphasizing the significance of the latter in nurturing talent for Team India. Shah reiterated this stance, emphasizing the importance of domestic cricket in Indian cricket's developmental pipeline and its critical role in player selection.
The seriousness of this directive was underscored by the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the 2023/24 BCCI annual contracts list due to their irregular participation in domestic cricket matches.
Captain Rohit Sharma echoed these sentiments after India's triumph in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, stressing the importance of selecting players with a genuine hunger for Test cricket. Sharma emphasized that success in the longest format necessitates a deep-seated hunger and determination, vowing to prioritize players who exhibit these qualities.
In essence, the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' signals BCCI's commitment to incentivize and prioritize Test cricket while reinforcing the significance of domestic cricket in shaping India's cricketing landscape.
