NEW DELHI – Indian cricket heroine Mithali Raj has furiously accusedcricket leaders of bias for dropping her for last Friday s World Twenty20semi-final, which India lost to England.
Raj, the highest run scorer in the women s international game and stillIndia s one-day captain, wrote a furious letter of complaint and met Boardof Control for Indian Cricket (BCCI) leaders on Monday to vent her anger.
“For the first time in a 20 year long career, I felt deflated, depressedand let down,” said the 35-year-old in the letter seen by AFP.
Raj questioned whether “my services to my country are of any value to a fewpeople in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence.”
Raj singled out BCCI committee of administrators member Diana Edulji andnational coach Remash Powar for dropping her from the team beaten by eightwickets by England.
“The brazen support of a COA member is a clear sign of bias and also that astance has already been taken against me,” said Raj, who has played 197 oneday internationals, 85 T20 matches and 10 Tests for India since making her50-over debut in 1999 against Ireland.
Raj hit two straight half-centuries at the World T20 in the West Indiesbefore missing India s last league game against Australia with a kneeinjury.
She was declared fit on the eve of the England semi-final but the selectorsstuck with the team that beat Australia. T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur saidselectors had stuck to a “winning combination”.
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“I would also like to point out that I have nothing against the T20 captainHarmanpreet Kaur except for the fact that her call to support the decisionof the coach to leave me out of the eleven was baffling and hurtful,” Rajwrote.
“I wanted to win the World Cup for my country and it hurts me because welost a golden opportunity.”
England lost to Australia in the tournament final.
“Never did I think she (Edulji) will use her position against me, moreafter hearing what all I had to go through in the Caribbean as I had spokento her about it.”
The BCCI did not immediately comment on Raj s tirade. – APP/AFP
