Finding it difficult to work: Indian Cricketers’ Association chief Malhotra hits out at directors

Former India batsman Ashok Malhotra, the president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association, stated that he feels restricted by the four directors of the body, having asked him not to make any public statements without discussing the matter internally, reported The Indian Express.

Malhotra had posted a video mentioning how the Board of Control for Cricket in India had not paid heed to ICA’s demands, which did not go down well with the four directors – Hitesh Majmudar, V Krishnaswamy, Yajurvindra Singh and Rajesh Nayyar.

Malhotra said that he was sent a joint email, asking the president to follow the Companies Act before making any statement.

“Sometimes I don’t understand how other board of directors do things. You cannot keep telling me about rules and regulations. I don’t know why stories were planted in the media that I spoke against domestic cricket and Bihar cricket. And on top of that four directors sent me an email, that I cannot go public. The email was leaked in the media,” Malhotra told The Indian Express.

He added: “On one side, I’m told ‘you cannot talk to the media’, and then on the other side, you are leaking it to the media. I’m finding it very difficult to work in this space with all of them kind of ganged up.”

Malhotra, who played seven Tests and 20 One-day Internationals for India in the 1980s, also alleged that ICA’s demands have been ignored in the last two Apex Council meetings.

The ICA wants to pay fees for former cricketers who are registered with them along with medical insurance and pension players who have lesser than 25 first-class games under their belt. They have also asked for pension for the families of deceased cricketers and the release of former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar’s benevolent fund.

Malhotra informed that he has had talks with BCCI president Sourav Ganguly but is yet to hear back from the BCCI.

“He [Ganguly] gave me a patient hearing. But nothing concrete has materialised as yet,” Malhotra told the newspaper.

“It’s been going on for some time now. I didn’t want to wash dirty linen in public. For me, the last straw has been the leakage of the email [from the four directors],” he said.

ICA is dependent on BCCI’s funding despite being an independent body set up as per the Lodha Committee recommendations.