Sacked India batting coach Sanjay Bangar will be questioned by the BCCI for allegedly misbehaving with national selector Devang Gandhi if outgoing administrative manager Sunil Subramanian or head coach Ravi Shastri file an official report on the matter.
Reports have emerged that Bangar, who has now been replaced by Vikram Rathour, confronted Gandhi, the selector on the just-concluded West Indies tour in his hotel room, and the exchange wasn’t exactly friendly.
“In such a scenario, one needs to go strictly by the rule book. First and foremost, the man who Bangar is alleged to have insulted, the national selector Gandhi, he needs to officially report the matter,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
It was the national selection committee that was in-charge of the support staff appointments. Bangar was the only one in the existing set-up to be axed with Bharath Arun (bowling coach) and R. Sridhar (fielding coach) retaining their respective jobs.
While the BCCI officials acknowledged Bangar’s confrontation with Gandhi but they are not sure whether the matter should be escalated now that he is no longer contracted by the BCCI.
“Outgoing administrative manager Subramanian, in his mandatory report, needs to mention the matter clearly. Last but not the least, head coach Shastri, Bangar’s reporting head, also needs to file it in writing that such an incident happened,” the official said.
“If all these boxes are not ticked, then there is no question of placing it before the CoA (Committee of Administrators),” he added.
While all the officials, who PTI spoke with, agreed that Bangar had reasons to be disappointed after getting the boot, they felt it was out of line by Bangar to confront the selector.
“Anyone is bound to be disappointed after being sacked. But why did he think that he was guaranteed an extension? Shastri, Arun and Sridhar’s performances were good and they were retained. Bangar’s performance was rated poor, he was removed. Bangar had no business asking questions to Gandhi even if we factor in that he might not have barged in or shouted at Gandhi,” an official said.
Curbs on using social media?
There is also talk in the BCCI about possible action on anyone — whether a former support staff or over the hill domestic players — taking to social media to vent frustration.
“Yesterday, Saurashtra’s Sheldon Jackson raised questions on social media about his non-selection in Duleep Trophy. Sheldon, we can still understand, scored 850-plus runs but Bengal’s Manoj Tiwary? He was 39th in top run-getters list in Ranji Trophy and yet he criticised Gandhi for his Duleep omission. The selectors have not answered back as they are bound by contract unlike domestic players. It’s time CoA formulates a policy, where there is some discipline among these players,” the official said.
Jackson had taken to Twitter to bat for greater transparency in the selection of teams.
“Saurashtra has played the Ranji Trophy finals this year, and surprisingly still no player even after performing at all platforms don’t get picked for the A series. So is the importance of playing the Ranji trophy finals zero? Or is that small State sides aren’t taken seriously?” he asked in a series of tweets.
He pointed out that in the last five years, Saurashtra Cricket has played three finals, but did not get the deserved credit.
“I am told not to question, but I strongly believe that we represent this beautiful organisation and association and we as players surely deserve to know why, and where we lack , or else our careers are just to going to end wondering why,” he wrote.
