Pondicherry officials livid over Sagar Udeshi’s Duleep Trophy non-selection

Sagar Udeshi

All is not well in the recent Duleep Trophy team selection for the South Zone. Although a team of 15 led by Hanuma Vihari and five stand-byes have been announced by the seven-member selection panel consisting of a selector each from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Hyderabad, Andhra and Pondicherry, several selections of players are under scanner.

The most baffling case is of Pondicherry left-arm spinner Sagar Udeshi, 36, who despite finishing with 42 wickets in seven Ranji Trophy matches, was not picked primarily because of the "age factor".

The same yardstick may have been applied for Ranji Trophy's highest wicket-taker Jalaj Saxena, who finished with 50 wickets for Kerala in seven games. Saxena too was ignored for the Duleep Trophy.

Another notable omission is India's 2019 World Cup all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who scored 483 runs and claimed four wickets in the Ranji season.

Udeshi has been one of the most consistent players for Pondicherry over the years and was in the Duleep Trophy stand-byes last season. He hoped to make the squad after finishing in the Top Five of the Ranji Trophy's wicket-takers for 2022-23.

Goa's left-arm spinner Darshan Missal (22 wickets in seven Ranji matches) was picked. The other left-arm spinner in the squad is R Sai Kishore, who finished with 29 wickets in six Ranji games for Tamil Nadu.

Pondicherry selector Thalaivan Sargunam Xavier is apparently livid. "In spite of best efforts made by the chairman (of selectors Dhiraj Narvekar), a few state Cricket Associations ganged up against Pondicherry and ensured that no one from CAP (Cricket Association of Puducherry) would represent SZ (South Zone). Though Sagar Udeshi, who took 42 wickets was left out, while bowlers who took 30 wickets from bigger state is (sic) given priority. I strongly protest the very attitude and regret to record that selection is totally biased," Thalaivan wrote in his remarks on the selection sheet, sourced by this correspondent.

The reason for Udeshi's non-selection was his age factor. "When it came to voting, only three selectors supported Udeshi's selection, while the remaining four voted against him because of his age. It was felt that a youngster should be promoted," a source revealed.

Thalaivan was shocked to learn of the resistance from other state selectors to not pick any Pondicherry cricketer for the Duleep Trophy. "I tried to convince everyone why it was important that at least one of our state players be selected in the Duleep Trophy. Udeshi has been our top performer for the last several years. Udeshi's selection would have motivated other players from the state and helped in the development of our state's cricket. Udeshi deserved a spot in the squad because he has performed well and his performances have come against top teams.

"Pondicherry, despite being a new state in domestic cricket, has been able to retain its place in the Elite division. As a state we have been doing well consistently by defeating domestic giants like Tamil Nadu and Mumbai. We also boast of one of the best cricketing infrastructure in India. So, a well-deserved selection of at least one of the players would have helped immensely," Thalaivan reiterated during a chat.

It is learnt that the cricket players association of Pondicherry are agitated over non-selection of players from their state and plan to launch a protest with the BCCI and the anti-corruption unit of the Board. "Selectors seemed to have ganged up against Pondicherry players which is a corrupt practice. It has to be investigated," a source said.

As for Mumbai-based Udeshi, the left-arm spinner had a terrific Ranji season in which he completed 150 first-class wickets in just 27 matches. During the last Ranji Trophy game, Udeshi finished with a fifer (5-62) against Kerala despite running high temperature throughout the game.

Udeshi is obviously disappointed at his non-selection for the Duleep Trophy, but the telling blow has only made him more determined for the next season.

Also Read: Mumbai's Tushar Deshpande, Tanush Kotian shocked by Duleep snub