BCCI to slap show-cause notices on Yuvraj, Rohit

India’s disastrous performance in the recently-concluded Twenty20 World Championship, combined with reports of players’ indiscipline, has prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to crack the whip on errant cricketers. Sources within the BCCI say at least eight players are in the line of fire and the board is expected to send a showcause notice to four cricketers —
Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Ashish Nehra and Ravindra Jadeja — by Tuesday.

The BCCI action follows a report by team manager Ranjib Biswal indicting some players for breaching the code of conduct imposed by the team management. DNA was the first to report about Biswal’s observations on Sunday. It is not clear whether Zaheer Khan and Piyush Chawla too will be pulled up.

Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay may not face action as there is no concrete evidence of any wrongdoing by them. The eight players were reportedly involved in a brawl at a Mexican restaurant in the Caribbean after their defeat against Sri Lanka in the last Super Eight game.

Board president Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan held a two-hour meeting with Biswal at the BCCI headquarters in Churchgate on Monday to discuss indiscipline among players.

“The manager has spoken to the BCCI president and secretary. We’ve also gone through his written report and conducted an inquiry into the incident. After considering all information, the president has decided that the board secretary will issue a show-cause notice to those players tomorrow,” BCCI CAO Ratnakar Shetty said.

It is also likely that the Board may come up with a code of conduct for players. It is perhaps the first time that the BCCI is taking a serious note of the manager’s report. This, one learns, is because of the upcoming 50-over World Cup in the Indian sub-continent next year for which Biswal has a suggested a slew of measures. As hosts, the BCCI does not want to get a bad name during the tournament.

The board may also make fitness tests mandatory for players before all overseas series. They may be asked to undergo fitness tests at the Mumbai Cricket Association and questions may also be sent to team physio Nitin Patel.

Coach Gary Kirsten too has expressed his unhappiness over the fitness and indiscipline of some players. He is expected to submit his report to BCCI officials in London on May 20 and 21 during the International Cricket Council meet.