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BSP-18
CRICKET-IND-RAJ-POWAR
India’s Raj ‘saddened’ as World T20 row escalates
NEW DELHI, Nov 29, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – India cricket star Mithali Raj said
Thursday she was “deeply saddened” by accusations that she threw tantrums and
threatened to quit before being controversially dropped during the Twenty20
World Cup.
Raj, the highest run scorer in the women’s international game and still
India’s one-day captain, was left out of the squad for last week’s semi-final
loss to England, triggering a high-profile row with team staff.
Coach Ramesh Powar blasted the veteran batswoman for “blackmailing”
officials, amid reports she had demanded to choose her own batting position
earlier in the tournament.
“I’m deeply saddened and hurt by the aspersions cast on me. My commitment
to the game and 20yrs of playing for my country,” Raj tweeted Thursday.
“The hard work, sweat, in vain. Today, my patriotism doubted, my skill set
questioned and all the mud slinging — it’s the darkest day of my life.”
Raj hit two straight half-centuries at the tournament in the West Indies
before missing India’s last group game against Australia due to a knee
injury.
She was declared fit on the eve of the England semi-final but selectors
declined to bring her back. T20 captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, said selectors
opted to stay with the “winning combination”.
Raj, 35, sent a fiery letter to India’s cricket board singling out Powar
and other officials, accusing them of bias and claiming they were trying to
destroy her career.
Powar briefed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on
Wednesday about the behind-the-scenes tumult at the T20 tournament.
“I hope Mithali stops blackmailing, pressurising coaches and putting her
interest first than the team,” Powar wrote in a 10-page post-tournament brief
for the BCCI, seen by AFP.
“I was saddened by her attitude and it gave me an impression that Mithali
Raj comes first and then India. She threw a lot of tantrums and created a lot
of chaos.”
The BCCI is yet to comment on the issue.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1450 hrs