All-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham has been dropped from the India A squad for the two unofficial Test matches against New Zealand A on disciplinary grounds. The 28-year-old player was a part of India Red squad in Duleep Trophy but requested the board to fly back to Karnataka due to him being unwell.
(Read Here: MS Dhoni visits police training session)
Later, he withdrew from the tournament and was officially ruled out along with Abhinav Mukund. However, he took part in Karnataka Premier League’s game, which drew attention as at the same time, India Red was playing India Blue. The move came under the scanner and BCCI decided to take action against the player,
“Gowtham opted out of the Duleep Trophy game during the first match and even produced a medical certificate that he was unwell. Two days later, he was found playing in the Karnataka Premier League. This is a gross insult to the system. A player can’t take a national-level tournament for granted like this. The board is looking into this incident and till the inquiry is over, he will not be picked for India A team,” Rahul Johri told TOI on Wednesday (September 20).
An all-rounder from the state of Karnataka, Gowtham had a dream domestic season last year and was one of the biggest buys in IPL 2017 as Mumbai Indians purchased him for a skyrocketing amount of 2 Crore. He did not get a game but got an India A call-up for the two unofficial Test series in South Africa in place of Jayant Yadav.
(Read Here: Steven Smith picks Sachin, Harbhajan in his dream team)
He then got selected in the India India Red squad for Duleep Trophy, where he scalped a fifer in the first game. After that though, he flew back to Karnataka and played KPL.
Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which runs KPL, has however defended the all-rounder as they have said that Gowtham was not aware of the dates of the second game of Duleep Trophy, which they claim the reason behind his absence from the pink ball tournament.
Gowtham’s loss has emerged as a gain for Karn Sharma as he has been rewarded for his brilliant show in Duleep Trophy with a call-up in the India A squad, for the two unofficial Test matches. He scalped 15 wickets in three innings in two games. However, he will miss the final of Duleep Trophy, which has emerged out as a headache for skipper Dinesh Karthik.
The first Test between India A and New Zealand starts on September 23 followed by the last first-class game starting from September 30. Five unofficial ODIs will also follow.
(Read Here: Day 2 of Duleep Trophy game between India Blue andGreen washed out)
(Read Here: Unpleasant weather conditions responsible for ground condition: BCB)