Chauhan to go to spinning school
The Board of Control for Cricket in India will send off spinner Rajesh Chauhan to either England or
South Africa for taking 'corrective' measures in his bowling
action.
Former Test offspinner E A S Prasanna will accompany Chauhan on his trip overseas, slated for sometime next month, BCCI secretary J Y Lele indicated in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Interestingly, Lele indicated that the BCCI's technical committee under Sunil Gavaskar, which met in Delhi today, did not discuss the Rajesh Chauhan issue.
"It was not on the agenda," Lele said.
The BCCI secretary elaborated that the technical committee could not take any decision about Chauhan's action. "It is the ICC throwing committee which is empowered to review the case," Lele said, in a rather drastic turnaround of what he had said in a media briefing on Saturday.
At that time, Lele had said that he himself had viewed the tape sent by the ICC and found nothing wrong with the action. Further, that the final word would rest with the BCCI technical committee. And that the committee would take up the matter for review on Tuesday.
That was Saturday. A shade over 48 hours later, Lele indicates that the technical committee is not the final word on the subject and, more, that the committee did not even review the tape or take up the matter.
Strange, but true.
Lele further said the BCCI had however sent a letter to the ICC asking it to review Chauhan's case. "We are expecting
a reply from them and, based on that, the bowler will be sent abroad
for ten to 15 days for 'corrective'action so that he is cleared at
the earliest," Lele said.
"We will get Chauhan cleared before the series against Australia begins on March five," the BCCI secretary asserted.
When it was pointed out that Kumara Dharmasena the Sri Lankan off spinner, similarly suspected of chucking by the ICC committee, had been played in the recent one dayer against Zimbabwe without being called, Lele
replied "Well, Dharmasena has not been included in the Test
side, he has only been played in the one dayer in which umpires are from
the home side."
Asked if Rajesh Chauhan will be similarly selectred for one dayers in India, Lele said, "Chauhan is available, even today he is playing in the Deodhar Trophy game."
When it was pointed out that Lele himself had cleared the off spinner's action, the BCCI secretary said, "That was my personal opinion as a qualified umpire, it is not the board's view."
Lele who is convenor of the technical committee, said the
committee discussed the playing conditions for the coming Australian
series. The conditions will be made public after the ACB formally approves them, the board secretary added.
He said the committee also reviewd the rules of domestic
tournaments to plug certain loopholes.The new rules, after
ratification by the board, will be enforced from next season.
Apart from Lele, the technical committee meeting was comprised of committee chairman Sunil Gavaskar, Maninder Singh and
Kailash Ghattani.
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