Goud in a soup without No Objection Certificate

Not only did Karnataka begin the Ranji Trophy season on a wrong note, being shot out for a paltry 85 at Baroda, but also found themselves without their newly-appointed captain Yere Goud, who was prevented from playing on technical grounds.

Having moved from Railways to Karnataka, Goud needed to obtain a NOC (no objection certificate) from his employers. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), in turn, had to seek clearance from the Indian board (BCCI) to play him in the state team.

"September 30 was the cut off date for getting the NOC," the KSCA assistant secretary B Sudhakar Rao told Times of India. "We wrote to the Railways and presumed that they would have sent it across to the board. Unfortunately, this did not happen.'' However, Rao was confident that Goud would play the second game against Haryana at Mysore starting on December 1.

It's a curious case, especially because Goud's return to Karnataka, whom he represented in the 1994-95 season, wasn't a hurried one. He had been identified as captain as early as in August and trained with the probables, in their pre-season preperation, for nearly four months.