Asia Cup: Sehwag dropped for defying BCCI

                                                      

MUMBAI: What exactly is Sehwag's injury? This is a question that nobody in the BCCI is willing to answer. Not even the selectors who received a 'directive' not to consider Sehwag for the 15-member Asia Cup team and thus 'rested' the opener.

The board may not have a direct answer but the news coming out from its own corridors is that Sehwag has been dropped because he refused to follow the BCCI's instruction to cooperate in issuing a joint statement with captain Dhoni to the media in Australia.

Following controversial reports of the spat between Sehwag and Dhoni, the BCCI had asked the two players to read out a joint statement at a press conference in Australia so that the various gossip theories floating around could be contained.

It is learnt that the board told the two players that the statement would be drafted by the BCCI and sent to them following which Dhoni would read it out in front of the media. No additional questions would be taken other than the reading of the 'joint statement' and Sehwag would only be present there but not comment.

Dhoni, it appears, agreed to the board's diktat but Sehwag refused and was consequently 'rested' by the selectors. "If the so-called spat needed any further convincing, the board has done it," a source told TOI.

Of course, Sehwag's poor form has not helped matters. When enquired, board officials refused to accept this and maintained that Sehwag had been 'rested' because medical reports suggested that he needed the break.

Speaking to media post Wednesday's selection committee meeting, chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth said: "He (Sehwag) and Zaheer Khan have not been dropped. They have been rested and the decision has been taken following the physio's report. We have selected the best team possible taking into account the fitness report (of players) from the physio and the board.

Just five ODI matches ago Sehwag was the toast of the nation for his double hundred against the West Indies in Indore. He also played the last ODI against Sri Lanka in Hobart , and there were no signs of an injury during or after the game. The board, however, insisted that Sehwag had not been kept out for disciplinary reasons.

When the media refused to buy his statement, the normally unflappable Srikkanth lost his cool and asked the reporters to "shut up".

The board and the chief selector chose to blame the media for constant speculation.

communication with Dhoni. The two have done little since then to repair the damage and if not for Kohli's century which came as a relief, a distraught Indian team would have, by now, been on a lonely flight back home.