E-Paper
An ?official stranger? in Delhi camp
Rohit Sabharwal has been practicing with the rest of the Delhi Ranji probables but his name is not on any list of probables, writes Kadambari Murali.
The queerest of things happen in Delhi cricket. We've had the triple coaches controversy, the two selection committee chairmen decision, the mammoth selection committee and a huge list of Ranji probables --- 62 in toto.
And now, we have the strange case of Rohit Sabharwal. For these past three days, Sabharwal has been practicing with the rest of the Delhi probables, breakfasting with them, going through the drill. In fact, he's even marked present --- there are three "Ps" near his name on the attendance register where names are handwritten. So someone (no one owning up to who exactly) obviously took his name down when he reported to the camp on Day One.
The problem is that Sabharwal's name is not on any list of probables. At least not on any list released till now. How he came to be at the city's premier cricket camp, who allowed him to be there, who sent him there --- these are questions that need to be asked.
What is more strange is how it took three days for anyone to realise that there was a stranger in their midst. Despite the fact that all the selectors dropped in at some stage or the other and that the two coaches and trainer were around throughout. But this is Delhi, anything goes.
Sabharwal, a 26-year-old batsman who has reportedly played in Hyderabad, was asked to leave the camp on Wednesday afternoon, sometime after he had been marked present for the day.
Anyway, the probables will be brought down to 30 next Wednesday and the 15-member Ranji Trophy squad and captain announced on October 23.