Kapil hits out at ban on spinner(5 Jan 1998)

5 January 1998

Kapil hits out at ban on spinner

By a Special Correspondent in New Delhi

TEST cricket's highest wicket-taker, Kapil Dev, yesterday hit out at the game's administrators for banning Indian spinner Rajesh Chauhan because of a suspect bowling action.

Off-spinner Chauhan was dropped on Saturday for a three-nation tournament in Bangladesh later this week on the advice of the ICC.

"It is unfair to drop Chauhan simply because someone suspects his action," said Kapil, who took 434 Test wickets. "The umpire is the final judge and Chauhan has never been called for throwing."

The ban follows a report from former Australian captain Bobby Simpson, who, in his capacity as match referee for the recent India-Sri Lanka Test series, questioned the actions of Chauhan and three Sri Lankans.

The ICC's technical committee cleared Sri Lankans Muttiah Murlitharan and Sajeewa De Silva after watching video clips, but wanted Chauhan and Sri Lankan off-spinner Kumara Dharmasena to undergo remedial work.

This is not the first time the actions of Chauhan - or Murlitharan - have been queried. Chauhan was kept out of the Indian team for two years from 1995 to 1997 on the advice of the ICC. Murlitharan was called for throwing by Australian umpire Darrell Hair during Sri Lanka's tour to Australia in 1995.

Meanwhile Sachin Tendulkar has hit out at the Indian selectors for replacing him as captain with Mohammad Azharuddin. "I rarely got the players I wanted," said Tendulkar.

INDIA SQUAD.- M Azharuddin (capt), A Jadeja (vice-capt), S Ganguly, S Tendulkar, N S Sidhu, N Mongia (wkt), R Singh, V V S Laxman, J Srinath, D Mohanty, H Kanitkar, S Bahutule, H Singh, R Sanghvi.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)