For Shukla, heart is where the hearth is

"I feel a lot better now, having taken this decision. I am too emotionally attached to Bengal," he says, reports Atreyo Mukhopadhyay.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla has made up his mind. He is not joining the ICL. This news was doing the rounds for a few days after the sensational unveiling of 44 Indian players in Mumbai on Monday, but on Friday came the confirmation from the man concerned.

“I think I would have been out of place had I joined the ICL. I belong to Bengal and this sense of belonging would have been missing had I joined the ICL. I have informed Kiran More of my decision,” the Bengal all-rounder with three ODI caps said.

“I feel a lot better now, having taken this decision. I am too emotionally attached to Bengal. It would not be possible to detach myself. There was a lot of money at stake but what I earn by playing for Bengal is decent enough.”

There was another concern about Shukla’s future as a Bengal cricketer because he is an employee of the Railways who have reportedly sought his services for the forthcoming season beginning with the Moin-ud Dowlah Gold Cup in September. The player said he has opted out of the Cup with a finger injury and sources in the Cricket Association of Bengal hinted they were trying to get him another job.