Former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad has reacted to the revelations made by batter-keeper Wriddhiman Saha as he exposed a journalist threatening him and how BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had assured him a place in the Indian team recently.
Prasad, who played for India from 1994 to 2001, took a dig at top Indian players saying that it is important for players to be aware of whom they should be close to and should have a clear boundary.
He added that some cricketers lacked that sense as they loved to be buttered and catered to.
“It is equally important for players who give these kind of brash journalist a platform & unnecessary access to have better sense of who to be close to and have a clear boundary. I am afraid some top players have lacked that sense just because they enjoy the buttering,” he tweeted.
Wriddhiman Saha was amongst the four senior players who were dropped from the Indian Test squad which was named for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. In an explosive interview with a journalist as reported by PTI, Saha said that Team India coach Rahul Dravid has suggested him about thinking about retiring.
BCCI serious about the matter- Arun Dhumal promises strict action in Saha v journalist issue
He said, "The team management had told me that I would not be considered henceforth. I could not tell this so long as I was part of the India team setup. Even coach Rahul Dravid suggested that I think about taking retirement".
Saha also said that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had assured him of a place in Indian team as long as he was at the helm in the board.
He said, ”When I hit an unbeaten 61 taking a pain-killer in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur last November, Dadi (as Sourav was referred to by Bengal players) congratulated me over WhatsApp. He even mentioned that I should not worry about anything so long as he is at the helm of the BCCI. Such a message from the board president really boosted my confidence. But I failed to understand why everything changed so fast."
So far, the BCCI have assured that they are serious about investigating the Saha v journalist issue and will take strict action against the erring party.
