India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will not play for his Ranji team Saurashtra as BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has denied him the permission to feature in the final of India’s most reputed domestic level tournament, says report.
The final match between Bengal and Saurashtra is slated to be played at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium (SCA) in Rajkot from March 9 to 13. During this time, India will be playing South Africa at home which probably stopped Ganguly from giving Jadeja the nod as the Gujarat cricketer is a valuable asset for the Men in Blue.
According to the report, a request was made by SCA president Jaydev Shah to BCCI for Jadeja but Ganguly denied him the permission to play citing “country first” policy.
“I spoke to him (Ganguly) and was told that the board can’t allow Jadeja to play Ranji as country comes first,” Shah said quoted by The Indian Express.
“If BCCI wants people to watch their premier domestic cricket then no international game should be held during Ranji final, henceforth. It’s my suggestion. Will BCCI keep an international match during IPL? No, because it gives money. Ranji Trophy can only be popularised if star players play at least in the finals. Don’t keep any international cricket during finals, have a proper window,” Shah further said.
“I would have loved to see him (Jadeja) play the Ranji Trophy final for us, why only Jadeja, I would have loved to see Mohammad Shami (for Bengal) also,” he added.
Saurashtra defeated Gujarat by 92 runs to enter their second successive Ranji Trophy final and their fourth in the last eight seasons. Meanwhile, Bengal had thrashed Karnataka by 174 runs to make it to the final after 13 years.