Although the Indian cricket team won their two one-day internationals against the West Indies in T&T, it was not all smooth sailing, as their manager got himself into hot water with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Guardian Media understands that there was a row between India manager Sunil Subramanium and the Indian High Commission in T&T. An official from Delhi who was close to the situation confirmed yesterday that there was an incident and it was “handled.”
With India’s Independence being celebrated yesterday, it is understood that a request was made by the High Commission for some of the players to make themselves available to do a video on water conservation, as Water Conservation is the theme for this year’s celebrations.
However, it is alleged that a row developed between the manager and the High Commission after he did not readily cooperate with the request and this was communicated back to the central government in India. On hearing of this development, the BCCI decided to recall Subramanium and he was due to leave T&T after the ODI series at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.
Coincidentally, while he was packing up to leave, the players were involved in a shoot at the QP Oval dealing with water conservation. It is understood, however, that Subramanium subsequently wrote an apology to the Indian High Commission and the BCCI and after consideration they asked him to stay on for the Test segment of the tour in Antigua and Jamaica.
The BCCI had informed the two High Commissions in the Caribbean that Subramanium was the go-to man for the commercial that was to be shot. But when an official from the Indian High Commission went to him in Port-of-Spain he was turned away in a rude manner.
The issue was also reported in the India press.
“Yes, mails have been exchanged and while Sunil Subramanium has spoken about how it was an inadvertent mistake, the top bosses are pretty clear that he needs to return. Citing stress when you are a representative of the country cannot really be a justification,” a senior BCCI executive told the OrissaPost on Wednesday.
“As for the role of manager, it remains to be seen if he will be allowed or barred. Depends on how the executives take to his reasoning once he is back in the country. But this isn’t the first time that he has been caught napping when it comes to his conduct as manager of the Indian team and the episode in the Caribbean Islands could be the death knell.”
The report noted that this was not the first time Subramaniam had run afoul of the BCCI. It is alleged that he fell out with a catering official from Australia when the Indians toured there and the BCCI was also not happy with his conduct at the recently concluded ICC World Cup.
The entire episode here in T&T has also been confirmed by a BCCI official who wished to remain anonymous. The source in Delhi added that had Subramaniam not operated in such a manner with the Indian High Commission here, they would have officially hosted the team to mark the Independence celebrations.
This blow to Subramanian could still be severe, as the BCCI will now decide whether he can re-apply for the his job which would have become vacant at the end of India’s tour of the West Indies.