Dharamsala: On the day when skipper Pravez Rasool scored a century for Jammu and Kashmir against hosts Himachal Pradesh at Dharamshala as part of Ranji Trophy 2015, a drama unfolded outside the stadium.
While the team of one warring faction of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), led by state sports minister Iqbal Ansari, who was recently elected JKCA president, was playing inside the venue, another team selected by the faction led by former chief minister Farooq Abdullah reached the venue to stake their claim to represent the state.
In the end, the Ansari-led faction’s team was allowed to play and J&K reached 274 for the loss of eight wickets by stumps.
Miffed for not being allowed inside the venue by the match observer, the Abdullah-led faction held a brief protest with team managers Rajiv Pandita and Rohit Malhotra accusing the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) of bias.
“We were not allowed to enter the venue even though the J&K high court recognises us as the state’s official team,” said Pandita.
He also produced the copies of the court order claiming that not allowing them to enter the stadium was illegal.
HPCA spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said they had nothing to do with JKCA’s internal matters, and it was the match observer, recognised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who allowed the particular team to play.
Earlier also, in the Ranji Trophy match against Kerala held at Srinagar on October 1, the warring factions had named two separate squads, with former Delhi player Mithun Manhas being named captain in one, while the other team was led by Rasool.
In the end, the Manhas-led team took the field with Rasool as his deputy.
While the team of one warring faction of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), led by state sports minister Iqbal Ansari, who was recently elected JKCA president, was playing inside the venue, another team selected by the faction led by former chief minister Farooq Abdullah reached the venue to stake their claim to represent the state.
In the end, the Ansari-led faction’s team was allowed to play and J&K reached 274 for the loss of eight wickets by stumps.
Miffed for not being allowed inside the venue by the match observer, the Abdullah-led faction held a brief protest with team managers Rajiv Pandita and Rohit Malhotra accusing the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) of bias.
“We were not allowed to enter the venue even though the J&K high court recognises us as the state’s official team,” said Pandita.
He also produced the copies of the court order claiming that not allowing them to enter the stadium was illegal.
HPCA spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said they had nothing to do with JKCA’s internal matters, and it was the match observer, recognised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who allowed the particular team to play.
Earlier also, in the Ranji Trophy match against Kerala held at Srinagar on October 1, the warring factions had named two separate squads, with former Delhi player Mithun Manhas being named captain in one, while the other team was led by Rasool.
In the end, the Manhas-led team took the field with Rasool as his deputy.
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