Former India cricket captain Nari Contractor slammed the National Cricket Academy committee's decision to replace him with former opening batsman Ashok Mankad as the Talent Resources Development Officer (TRDO) for West Zone at a meeting in Bangalore recently.
Contractor alleged that NCA director and chairman Brijesh Patel, Sunil Gavaskar and TRD chief Dilip Vengsarkar "ganged up" to oust him from the post.
His ouster comes in the wake of what he believes was "a casual conversation" with Gavaskar's childhood friend Milind Rege, wherein he questioned Rohan Gavaskar's inclusion in the India 'A' team for the tour of England and Brijesh Patel's son Udit Patel's selection for the Border-Gavaskar Scholarship to Australia recently, and not the "age" factor.
Contractor told PTI in Mumbai, "My ouster had nothing to do with age. In fact, when Dilip [Vengsarkar] met me before the NCA meeting at Bangalore he had confirmed that I will be the TRDO and he wanted to know whether I could spare more time after it was decided to have just three instead of six TRDOs this year.
"If age was the reason then how come former Mumbai spinner [Padmakar] Shivalkar, who is 62, is chosen as the second TRDO, ahead of 45-year-old Kiran Mokashi?" asked Contractor.
When contacted, Gavaskar declined to say anything on the issue.
"I have nothing personal against Rohan. My argument was that an above 23-year-old player should not be playing for the India `A' team and Rohan has been playing for India `A' since 1999. How long does it take the selectors to judge whether a player has the potential to play for the country?" Contractor asked.
"In fact way back in 1990, I had expressed similar views at the BCCI's technical committee meeting much before Rohan played for India `A'," he added.
"As far as Udit Patel is concerned, how can his father [Brijesh], who is the chairman of the Indian selection committee pick his own son for a scholarship abroad?"
Speaking about Vengsarkar, he said, "When Dilip called me to the Mumbai Cricket Association to discuss plans for the next season, he never bothered to inform me that I was replaced as the TRDO and I got the news through newspapers.
"I did not approach the BCCI for this post and it was the other way round, and when the Board gave this job to me, I took it up and tried my best to fulfill it. The way I have been treated has not only upset me but has also hurt me immensely."
Meanwhile, Vengsarkar said Contractor's removal has nothing to do with his argument with former Mumbai skipper Rege.
"It was in Bangalore that we decided that a younger person would be ideal for the post," he added.
