M. Vijay not turning up for the Tamil Nadu-Mumbai one-day game in the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Thursday has opened a host of questions.
Was the cricketer really at fault or did it all boil down to communication gap?
Vijay, it is learnt, called up the State selection panel chief S. Sharath on Friday and conveyed to him that he had “informed” team coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar at 7.30 on the morning of the match of his non-availability for the game owing to a shoulder “niggle.”
And Kanitkar confirmed the same to the media on Friday and that he was prepared to play without Vijay. He also said that the team physio might have been intimated too.
The Tamil Nadu coach’s words contradict that of the TNCA which said in its release on Thursday that the “physio was not aware” of Vijay’s injury.
And as Kanitkar revealed, the team-management was not consulted by the selection panel when the decision to leave Vijay out was taken.
Did the selectors act in haste? Or should Kanitkar himself have been more communicative about Vijay or, as a coach, laid stricter guidelines for his players?
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) believed it was too late in the day for Vijay to convey the news to the team-management.
A TNCA source said to The Hindu , “It is a vital game against Mumbai and the team needs to be prepared. The selectors were adamant about leaving Vijay out.”
There is also this feeling that being a senior member of the team, Vijay could have at least come to the ground. Earlier in the season, Vijay pulled out of the match against Tripura due to a “stiff neck” but travelled to the dressing room and got himself treated.
The TNCA, however, has not initiated disciplinary proceedings against Vijay that would have brought the BCCI into the frame and endangered his Test place.
As things stand, Vijay has been “replaced” owing to fitness concerns and the TNCA has opted not to proceed further against the cricketer.
The TNCA is not pleased about India players from the State “picking and choosing” their matches for Tamil Nadu. “Whatever they are now, they owe it to the Tamil Nadu team. From here on, they will have to clearly indicate whether they will be available for the entire tournament or not to the TNCA before selection,” the source said.
The State association also planned to raise the issue of “commitment” of India stars to the Tamil Nadu side in its executive panel meeting. “We want to get a resolution passed,” said the source.
