Indian player association presses BCCI for recognition

The Indian Cricket Players' Association (ICPA) will likely hold discussions with the BCCI on gaining official recognition after India's tour of the West Indies. A spokesman said the association was confident that the current board, led by Sharad Pawar, would be receptive enough to recognise them.

"We had not applied for recognition during the erstwhile regime, as that would have been pointless. And they also never cared to ask us to do so," a spokesman for ICPA said. "We are hopeful that we will get due recognition from the Sharad Pawar-led board. They are doing so much for the cricketers."

The ICPA welcomed the statement made by Rahul Dravid, the India captain, who expressed his wish to have the organisation officially recognised.

"At the international level, cricketers do have an organisation called Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA) and we have ICPA here, though it is not recognised," Dravid told The Telegraph (Calcutta). "We have taken up the issue with the BCCI and trying to have our Indian body recognised. So far our negotiations have remained very healthy and I am sure we have been able to put across our points in the right manner."

The source, however, refused to comment on the issue of player burnout. Virender Sehwag was on Tuesday reprimanded for his comments on the former India captain Sourav Ganguly and also on burnout.

India's five-ODI and four-Test tour of the West Indies gets underway on May 16.