Jammu: The poor performance of Jammu and Kashmir cricket team in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy continues, having lost first two matches badly. The team twice collapsed and couldn’t even manage 100 runs in both the matches.
Some experts blamed the loss to the dropping of seasoned Ranji Trophy player, Ian Dev Singh, in both the matches. Ian who captained the JK Ranji Team in 2014-15, has a good record in all the formats. Recently coming from England, Ian scored 6 centuries this season but still Parveez Rasool led J&K didn’t include him in the two matches.
Jammu-based International Cricketer Mithun Manhas was all praise for Ian Singh and called him a class player.
”How one can even think of dropping such a wonderful player, who had captained the team for two seasons and has a wonderful record,” he told INS.
Manhas slammed Rasool for being ‘choosy’ and politicising the gentleman’s game.
Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday was beaten by Bengal by six wickets. Captain Rasool contributed four runs and Irfan Pathan was sent back to pavilion for zero.
Last week, former Ranji Trophy captains Dhruv Mahajan and Vidya Bhaskar resigned as selectors, while two others from Kashmir- Zahoor Bhat and chief selector Parvez Qaiser quit the selectors’ panel for alleged ‘undue interference’ by player and mentor Irfan Pathan.
However, despite resignation by the entire panel, JKCA deputed the state team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.