Former India women’s cricket team coach Tushar Arothe has said that Diana Edulji, a member of the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators, contradicted her statement about interfering with team selection matters.
Edulji had told the media that the Indian team management’s controversial call to drop the experienced Mithali Raj for the Women’s World T20 semi-final against England cannot be questioned. She had said that the Indian team simply had a “bad day” after remaining unbeaten in the group stage of the World T20, and the CoA need not intervene in what was a selection call.
Raj went on to slam Edulji and India coach Ramesh Powar, saying a “few people in power are out to destroy me”. The India ODI captain wrote a long email to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and General Manager Sabah Karim, saying Powar “humiliated” her.
However, Powar’s predecessor Arothe, who resigned after India’s dismal performance at the Asia Cup earlier this year, said that Edulji had taken a completely different stand on team selection when he was in charge.
“Why is Diana contradicting her statement by saying that it was the team management’s decision to drop Mithali Raj?” Arothe was quoted as saying by the Times of India. “Why did she interfere in team selection during the Asia Cup in Malaysia? At that time too, the team management had taken a decision to drop Pooja Vastrakar in the final.”
He added, “However, after the tournament, I, tour selector Shashi Gupta and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur were summoned by Diana and asked why Vastrakar was not played in the final of the Asia Cup.
“At that time, I told her that it was the team management’s decision, but she had clearly told me that I can’t pick and choose whom to play.
“Now, within three months, the same person who questioned the team management on selection, is contradicting her own statement. Why did you question the team management on selection at that time? What has changed now? She needs to answer this question.”