Ashoke Dinda is looking for a fresh beginning to his first-class career after being dropped midway through the last season by Bengal on disciplinary grounds following an ugly spat with bowling coach Ranadeb Bose.
Dinda considers himself a victim of politics within the Bengal cricketing scene. The 36-year-old veteran pacer says he is already in talks with few other teams and would be applying for a NOC from Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
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“I will not be part of Bengal anymore, that’s for sure. It was a decision I had taken last season only. It’s my personal matter," PTI quoted Dinda as saying.
"You have seen what (actor) Sushant Singh Rajput had to go through… Sob jagay eki jinish — (favouritism, politics are everywhere). But I’m mentally strong and nobody can break me."
"I will play for some other state. I’ve got a few offers and discussions are on. But I’m yet to finalise which state I’m going to represent next season," added the man with 420 first-class wickets at 28.28 in 116 matches.
Dinda, who has also represented India in 13 ODIs and nine T20Is, was accused of abusing Bose, himself a former Bengal fast bowler. He refused to tender an apology and was accused of creating a rift within the side.
“I’m not happy playing here with this group of coaching staff. The way I was treated, I’ve nothing to say. I’ve done the job for them and now I’m of no use. It’s a selfish world," said Dinda, a loyal servant of Bengal cricket over the years, who was, even after being sacked, seen cheering for the likes of Ishan Porel, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar at the Eden Gardens earlier this year.
"I’ll definitely miss the home state, 100 per cent, having played for so many years. I also missed them last year. But I’m in good terms with my former teammates… (CAB president) Avishek is very friendly and good-hearted. At times, I also speak to Dada (Sourav Ganguly)," he concluded.
(Inputs from PTI)