How would you react if we told you that a player who has never donned the wicketkeeping gloves in his life was selected as a backup keeper for a state team? Sounds like a joke, right? But it’s not.
When Delhi announced its squad for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, the player listed at number 22 was picked as a backup wicketkeeper, but interestingly, he has never kept wickets before.
What really happened?
According to a report by Dainik Jagran, his selection happened only because a senior DDCA official allegedly pressured the junior selectors to include him. Classic DDCA — their controversies never seem to end.
The matter came to light when a few office bearers filed a complaint to board president Rohan Jaitley, who intervened and replaced the player with a specialist wicketkeeper in the squad.
But just think about it — this one blunder happened to get exposed. How many other unfair selections like this one probably remain buried under the carpet?
DDCA Secretary's letter to Rohan Jaitley
Earlier, DDCA Secretary Ashok Sharma also wrote a letter to Jaitley, complaining about the presence of three directors during a selection committee meeting for the U-23 and Ranji Trophy teams.
"Directors cannot be part of the selection committee meetings. However, Harsh Singla, Anand Verma, and Manjeet Singh entered the room and demanded that they be part of the meeting. I had to defer the meeting as they refused to leave. I have written a letter to the DDCA president highlighting the issues related to today's selection committee meeting," Sharma told The Indian Express.
"The recent selection process has raised serious concerns about the functioning of the DDCA selection committee. Contrary to established practices and BCCI guidelines, the Apex Council members have overstepped their roles, undermining the autonomy and credibility of the selection committee. We urge you to revisit the selection process and ensure that it adheres to the norms and best practices followed by the BCCI... Today, a few directors also attended the meeting, which raises concerns about potential bias and undue influence. Notably, one of the directors' presence seems particularly pertinent given that a family member is a candidate for selection," the letter stated.
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