Saurashtra happy to have Trivedi back after serving ban

It's not always a smooth entry into the system after being tainted but veteran seamer Siddharth Trivedi has been 'welcomed with open arms' by his team mates, said Saurashtra's coach Shitanshu Kotak.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India banned Trivedi for a year as he was found guilty of breaching the anti-corruption code by not reporting the approaches by bookmakers while playing for the Rajasthan Royals during the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League last year.

"There is absolutely no problem with Siddharth. He played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after returning from ban. He has been welcomed with open arms. There are no undercurrents in the dressing room regarding his presence," Kotak, a veteran of 130 first-class matches, said ahead of Saurashtra's Ranji Trophy opener against Delhi, on Sunday.

For Kotak, what happened with Trivedi was basically an 'error of judgement' and he believes that the bowler is not at fault.

"Look, when you speak to the player, you can gauge whether he is feeling guilty or not. Whatever happened, if you look at it, he didn't feel the need to report the matter. It happens with players. We hear a lot of things but we tend to ignore a lot of these things. We feel that it might just blow out of proportion if we discuss such things. That's exactly what happened with Siddharth," explained Kotak.

"Today, we are all scared to talk to strangers. You guys are asking questions as journalists but if tomorrow you people are embroiled in any controversy, how do I know that?" Kotak counter questioned.

Asked if he had a detailed discussion with his pacer after he re-joined the team, Kotak replied: "I didn't have to because the situation didn't warrant any. What I was more worried was that Siddharth was horribly short of match practice.

"He couldn't use any BCCI facilities because of the ban. He would only do gym-work to keep himself fit. But just doing gym  isn't enough. He needed to do a lot of bowling in match situations. He came back in district championship and then did reasonably well in Hazare Trophy. Now he has a lot of experience so he knows what is required at this level," said Kotak, referring to Trivedi, who has 260 first-class wickets from 78 matches.

Image: Siddharth Trivedi

Photograph: BCCI