Former BCCI GM and national selector Saba Karim's comments on the fitness of the young India opener Shubman Gill after his shin injury hasn't gone down well with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Gill injured his shin and has been ruled out for eight weeks, which means he is unlikely to be a part of the first half of India’s upcoming five-match Test series against England beginning on August 4.
Recently, Karim expressed his surprise on the podcast 'Khelneeti' that how Gill's injury escaped the eyes of the Indian medical team while questioning how the opener passed the fitness test with the injury.
Read Also: ENG v IND 2021: I was surprised to see that Shubman Gill hid his injury- Saba Karim
Reacting to Karim’s comments, a senior BCCI official has reportedly lashed out at the former cricketer for making such “an outlandish statement” despite having worked with the board, saying the latter’s statement is very unfortunate and was made just for attention.
He further insisted that people should avoid making such remarks since the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is very clear that every protocol is followed and fitness assessment of contracted cricketers is done without fail while saying Gill wasn't carrying any injury during the England tour.
A BCCI official said, “In making such a statement, he has questioned the leadership of Ganguly who is very particular about the rules being followed where the fitness of players and selection of players is concerned. It is a serious allegation to make because in doing so he is trying to cast aspersions on the integrity of Shubman and the leadership of Ganguly.”
He further noted, “I personally think this is a cry for attention from Karim because he was himself a part of the Indian cricket set-up till very recently and he obviously knows that there is a proper process in place wherein a player goes through a fitness test and there is no way in today's day and age that a player can hide his injury. It may have happened when he was a player or a selector, I don't know, but his statement is very unfortunate.”
The official concluded, “Shubman wasn't carrying any injury and this has happened on the tour. The kid has a high level of integrity and it is unfortunate that a former player who has played a Test match and someone who has been a GM in the BCCI can make such an outlandish statement.”
Noteworthy, Gill did not have a great outing in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand as he recorded scores of just 28 and 8 as India lost the final to Kane Williamson's team last month.
The Indian cricket team is on a 20-day break after the WTC 2021 Final and will regroup in Durham around July 14 to play a warm-up game before the Test series starts on August 4 against England.
(With ANI Inputs)
