Manoj Prabhakar has been sacked as coach of the Delhi Ranji Trophy team.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association gave him the marching orders after he made comments about some players and the selection committee in the press.
"He made comments against players and selectors and it hasn't gone down well with them. It has created a rift in the team," said Delhi's chief selector Chetan Chauhan.
The differences had been there for quite sometime. It is believed that Prabhakar's no-nonsense approach and his often sarcastic comments had irked the players. The differences between the coach and the team have been brewing for some time. In the recently-held T20 tournament, Prabhakar wasn't happy with skipper Mithun Manhas's decision to bat first.
"The feeling among the players is that he should have spoken to the players instead of lambasting them in the press," said a source. Chauhan ruled out the possibility of reinstating Prabhakar in the near future.
The DDCA hasn't named any replacement. Assistant coach Sanjeev Sharma will handle the team. Prabhakar was quoted as questioning the attitude and technique of some players. He said that the selectors didn't give him the players he wanted.