IND: Sidhu Putting His Case To Indian Cricket Board (2 Jun 1996)

2 June 1996

Sidhu putting his case to Indian cricket board

NEW DELHI, Saturday - Opener Navjot Sidhu, who quit India`s tour of England and announced his immediate retirement from tests after being dropped for a one-day match, is to put his case to Indian cricket chiefs.

Sidhu said on Friday he was deeply anguished at his treatment by the team management, and that quitting the game had inflicted a "scar on his soul`` forever.

The first Indian to walk out on a touring team in the country`s 64-year test history, Sidhu said he had submitted his case to the president and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and maintained their reaction would be final and acceptable without debate.

"I am ready to shed my blood for the country but with dignity,`` Sidhu told Reuters by telephone from Patiala in Punjab.

Asked whether he would reconsider his decision to retire, he said: "I`d like to wait for the cricket board`s verdict.``

Sidhu, 32, quit the England tour on Monday and announced his retirement after he was dropped for the third and final one-day international against England, which India lost by four wickets at Old Trafford.

He returned to India on Thursday.

"It is with great regret and a lot of soul searching, I have arrived at this painful decision,`` he said in a written statement on Friday.

"It was never my wish to quit but the decision has been imposed upon me by circumstances that have been brewing for over a year.

"During the course of the year certain events have reinforced my belief and made me realise that even after performing with distinction and consistency over a long period I am still unwanted.

"The events of the last few days in England are the final nail in the coffin which has almost made me a nervous wreck where I could neither do justice to myself nor to my countrymen.``

Sidhu is the second senior Indian cricketer, after Manoj Prabhakar, to announce his retirement since the World Cup, citing unfair treatment.

"Nothing has given me more honour, pride and pleasure than playing for my country. It was as sacred as praying to the almighty.

"By quitting the game, I have inflicted on myself a punishment whose scar will remain on my soul forever, added Sidhu, who averages 40.13 in his 36 Tests.

Source :: Daily News (http.//www.lanka.net)