In a major step towards introducing graded payments for its players, the Board of Control for Cricket in India discussed the contract issue with four senior players, including captain Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, on Monday.

"We discussed the contract issue. The process has just started and it will continue. No decision has been taken so far," BCCI secretary S K Nair said in Bangalore.

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Besides Ganguly and Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid were the other two players who were part of the discussions with the three-member committee, comprising Nair and BCCI officials Ratnakar Shetty and Amrit Mathur.

The committee has reportedly proposed an annual retainership of Rs 60 lakh to Grade "A" players, Rs 30 lakh to Grade "B" players and Rs 15 lakh to Grade "C" players.

The proposal will mean that national players will not have the same annual earnings as their international counterparts.

But the committee has reportedly made a recommendation to have parity in match fees for Test matches and one-day internationals.