DNA
MUMBAI, Mar 21: Kapil Dev, the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests, will not be present at Anil Kumble’s felicitation function. The former India captain, a one-time teammate of Kumble, has not been invited by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The BCCI, however, has invited all the former captains to the March 25 function in Chennai where the India Test captain will be honoured for taking 600 Test wickets.
Board sources have confirmed that an invite has not been sent to India’s only World Cup-winning captain. The obvious reason for not sending an invite to Kapil is his association with the Indian Cricket League but the question is, shouldn’t the Board have set aside its differences in such matters?
On a past occasion, this very dispensation of the BCCI had set aside its differences with its chief adversary Jagmohan Dalmiya and had sent an invite to him for a felicitation function in October 2006. Then and now, it also sent an invite to Mohammad Azharuddin, who is serving a life ban on charges of match-fixing.
When contacted, a top Board official confirmed that all the former captains, barring Kapil and Ajit Wadekar, have been invited to the function. Like Kapil, Wadekar is associated with the ICL.
Kapil said he is disappointed that he would not present on the occasion. “I’m disappointed but I am not surprised. I knew that they would not invite me,” Kapil said. He, however, sent his best wishes to Kumble who he hailed as one of the greatest bowlers of India. “He is a fabulous bowler and he deserves all the accolades that are being showered on him. My best wishes are always with Anil. I wish him the best of luck.”
As has already been reported, the Board is in a dilemma over how tocelebrate the silver jubilee of India’s World Cup victory this year because of the Kapil factor. Kapil’s teammate and former captain Sunil Gavaskar has invited all the members of the team to Lord’s but the BCCI has remained silent. A decision on the matter is expected to be taken in Chennai on March 25, the day of Kumble’s celebration