BCCI official told Indian team to skip ICC awards

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates skipped — and “not boycotted” — the ICC awards function in London on Monday primarily because some big BCCI ego came in the way. Sanjjeev Karan Samyal, Amol Karhadkar report.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates skipped — and “not boycotted” — the ICC awards function in London on Monday primarily because some big BCCI ego came in the way.

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It is learnt that a senior Chennai-based Board of Control for Cricket in India official asked the team to “avoid” the most respected awards in the cricketing world. “Since his office was not formally invited, he asked the players to avoid attending the function,” an insider told HT on Tuesday. “And the players were happy to oblige. After the drubbing they’ve got at the hands of England,... they had no problems in taking minds off cricket.”

Though the International Cricket Council did not invite the official, it did send a formal invite to the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. The official was unavailable for comment, while BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty refused to speak on the matter.

Board’s vice-president Rajiv Shukla, however, was at the function presided over by Sharad Pawar, the ICC chief.
Another reason being given for Team India’s no-show was that some players took offence to being told “to be ready” for the function in the invite.

It was a shame that the Indian team members did not attend the event though they were in London and invited, said ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat.