Nayyar demands probe into his exclusion

Former Himachal Pradesh Ranji skipper Rajiv Nayyar demanded a probe into his exclusion from the state team on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters in Chandigarh, Nayyar said he sought an appointment because of the exclusion of state players and inclusion of outsiders by the State Cricket Association headed by Anurag Thakur, the son of a BJP leader, and former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Nayyar said that he was informed of his exclusion on the eve of first Ranji Trophy match against Services last week.

He alleged that besides him Jaswant Rai (75 matches), all-rounder Shakti Singh (60 matches), Anil Sen (35 matches) and off-spinner Shavinder have also been shown the door.

Nayyar holds the world record for the longest individual innings in first class cricket. In 1999, he batted a total of 1015 minutes in scoring 271 in his team's drawn match against Jammu & Kashmir in the North Zone Ranji Trophy league game at Chamba.