The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering a bonus apart from match fee for the Indian players to play Test cricket.

The talks of raising the match fees/bonus comes at a time when players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have decided to opt out of domestic red-ball cricket (Ranji Trophy) and instead focus on the upcoming T20 tournament Indian Premier League (IPL). Currently, a player gets around $20,000 (INR 15 lakh) to play a Test for India.

Talking about the proposed changes in pay structure, a source in the BCCI told media outlet the Indian Express: "For example, if someone plays all Test series in a calendar year, he should be rewarded additionally, apart from the annual retainer contract. This is to ensure that players turn out for more red-ball cricket. This would be an additional perk for playing Test cricket."

Apart from Tests, players also get around $8,000 (INR 6 lakh) per ODI and $4,000 (INR 3 lakh) for T20 internationals. All this is in addition to the BCCI's yearly central contract amount in multiple grades.

The discussion seems to stem from the situation around Iyer and Kishan. Both the players were asked to take part in ongoing Ranji Trophy for their respective teams after not being named in India's squad for last three Tests against England in the ongoing series. Kishan has taken a leave due to personal reasons since South Africa tour in December 2023, while Iyer was part of the India's squad for England Tests in the first two Tests before being dropped.

Despite the BCCI's instructions, Kishan did not have a word with Jharkhand cricket Association (JCA) while Iyer opted out of the Mumbai's Ranji Trophy fixture citing back injury issue.