BCCI to seek explanation from Dravid

BCCI would ask the skipper to explain his outburst against team manager for the South African tour Chetan Desai.

Jumping to the defence of Chetan Desai, the BCCI on Friday said it would seek an explanation from captain Rahul Dravid for his outburst against the team manager for the South African tour.

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Desai had come under a scathing attack from the Indian skipper for his tour report which criticised Dravid for selecting an out-of-form Virender Sehwag and unfit Munaf Patel in the deciding third Test against South Africa which India lost.

"We would like to talk to Dravid and find out the exact situation in which he has been reported to have said these words (critical of Desai)," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said at a media conference here.

"Chetan Desai was the manager on the tour and as per tradition he filed his report after the team's return. And he has not said anything about his (Dravid's) abilities as a player in the report," Shah said.

"The report is with Mr Sharad Pawar (BCCI president) and after he reads it he would give us guidelines on what to do," the BCCI secretary added.

Dravid told reporters in Kolkata that Desai had no standing in the game. "Anyone is entitled to give his opinion, anyone is entitled to give a report. But me commenting on that, I will comment only when it is worthy of my comment."

"It is important to put it in perspective and understand that I have been asked for my views on a report given by someone ... When I last looked at the history of Indian cricket I did not necessarily see his name featuring very prominently," Dravid had said.

The report was said to be critical of Sehwag's attitude to the game and also did not spare Dravid for being stubborn in selection matters, specially in the crucial third Test in Cape Town where an unfit speedster Munaf Patel was chosen.
 
Shah also sought to play down the matter of how the report got leaked to the media and what the BCCI was going to do about this.

"We are certainly interested in knowing how it happened," Shah shot back when queried whether the BCCI was not worried how the leak took place.