New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, accompanied by his wife Rivaba Jadeja, Gujarat’s Minister for Tribal Development, Primary, Secondary, and Adult Education, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Parliament House in New Delhi on Tuesday.

“An absolute privilege and honour to meet and interact with Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi sir. His clarity of thought, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence are deeply inspiring. A privilege to learn from such leadership,” Jadeja wrote on X while posting images from his meeting.

The meeting came at a time when Jadeja remains one of the senior figures in Indian cricket, having been retained in the Elite A category of the BCCI’s central contracts list that was announced on Monday. He was one of only three players to secure that status, alongside Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Jadeja has stepped away from T20 internationals, calling time on his career in the shortest format following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the 20-over game after the T20 World Cup 2024. As a result, he is not part of India’s squad in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

The latest central contracts list also reflects a significant structural change. The BCCI has removed the A+ category for the 2025–26 season, while senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been placed in Grade B after retiring from Test and T20I cricket. India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav also finds himself in Grade B.

Overall, 30 players have received central contracts this season, a reduction from 34 last year. Grade B features 11 players, while Grade C includes 16 cricketers, among them rising talent Abhishek Sharma. Several notable names, including Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Rajat Patidar, and Sarfaraz Khan, were omitted from the contract list.

On the field, Jadeja was last seen representing India in a home three-match ODI series against New Zealand last month, which the visitors won 2-1.

–IANS

vi/bsk/