Former India all-rounder and Baroda captain Irfan Pathan was disheartened with the latest episode that happened in the state team, forcing the current vice-captain Deepak Hooda to leave the bio-secure bubble and team ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21.
Hooda reportedly withdrew from the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament on Saturday (January 9) as well as left the team's bio-bubble ahead of the first match against Himachal Pradesh after a verbal spat with his captain Krunal Pandya.
The all-rounder made serious allegations against Krunal, claiming that the Baroda captain has abused and misbehaved in front of all his state teammates.
He also accused Pandya of “bullying” him and using abusive language at training in Vadodara – which left him demoralized, depressed, and put him under pressure, and eventually, he decided to pull out of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 2021.
Read Also: BCA to take action against Deepak Hooda’s misconduct and report the matter to BCCI
Meanwhile, Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) was furious with Hooda’s immaturity as the BCA chief Shishir Hattangadi told the cricketer in a mail that his act of misconduct would be informed to the BCCI and his IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and he can also face sanctions.
Reacting to the whole episode, Pathan has urged the BCA to look into the matter while saying it is shocking and disheartening and no player should be treated like Hooda of the latter’s claims are true.
He wrote on Twitter: “During the difficult times of this pandemic wherein mental health of a player is of utmost importance as they have to stay in a bio-bubble as well as keep themselves focused on the game, such incidents may have adverse effects on a player and should be avoided.”
Former all-rounder further added: “Being an ex-captain of Baroda and having mentored many youngsters, I understand how important it is to have a harmonious environment where players can feel safe, play freely and give their best for the team. If what I have heard about the Deepak Hooda episode is true, it indeed is shocking and disheartening. No player should be treated like this.”
Meanwhile, Pathan also pointed at the unfair treatment of talented players like Swapnil Singh and Aditya Waghmode who were not selected for the tournament despite having great runs under the belt.
He further noted: “In the recent past there have been episodes wherein the deserving young talents who have performed well and are under the age of 30 have been overlooked during the selection.
Also, the likes of Aditya Waghmode who was the highest run-scorer of the Baroda team in the last season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy scoring 364 runs, and Swapnil Singh, who had an all-round performance scoring 216 runs and took 10 wickets were overlooked.”
Pathan signed off by saying, “Requesting all members of the BCA to look into this and condemn such actions since they’re not good for the game of cricket.”
Noteworthy, Hooda has been a regular part of the Baroda team and has played 46 first-class games and 123 T20 matches for the state team so far. He also plays for India A.
