BCCI unlikely to act on Sudhir Naik-Ravi Shastri row:Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is unlikely to take any action on the alleged spat between Wankhede curator Sudhir Naik and Team India director Ravi Shastri after the hosts' loss against South Africa in the fifth and the final ODI.Naik had written a strongly-worded letter to the BCCI calling for action against Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun for abusive behaviour after match in Mumbai.The controversy started when South Africa posted a mammoth 438 for four in the series-decider and Shastri is said to have passed a sarcastic remark to Naik about the nature of the pitch. Naik alleged that the director also abused him, but Shastri has denied the claim.According to a report in The New Indian Express, it is learned that the team management had already asked the state association to prepare a wicket that assists spinners and it was the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) fault and hence has decided not to drag the issue.The report claimed that Shastri and Arun have denied the claims and the board will not sanction any of them.“Everybody prepares pitches that suit the home team and in a series decider, they shouldn’t have got a flat pitch like this. It should have been an even contest and because this game had so much to play for, they might have passed the odd comment. If they don’t ask us for help, then who would they ask?” a board functionary waqs quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.Naik said that the Indian team management had wanted a rank turner and wanted a specific part of the pitch to be watered. But the instructions were conveyed to the curators only a couple of days before the match."Whenever international match is there, we get a message from BCCI (Team Management) at least 10-12 days in advance about their requirements. This time we did not get any message. So we prepared a good batting track. Two days before the match, we got the message that they want a turning wicket."Wicket was already prepared hard with good binding. Whatever possible to do now was done, like no watering, cutting of grass at zero level and very little rolling," Naik was quoted as saying in the letter."Team management wanted us to water only good length area one day before the match. We as curators felt it is not advisable as two different shades will be seen. Also BCCI curator Mr. Dhiraj Parsana advised us not to put water."Naik, a right-handed opening batsman who represented India in 3 Tests and 2 ODIs in 1974, also alleged that Arun had misbehaved with his assistant Ramesh Mhamunkar. The 70-year-old asserted that such incidents can become a spoiler between the BCCI and the state associations."After the first innings Mr Ravi Shastri said to me 'Well done Sudhir, very good wicket' to which I said thanks. Then he abused me and went in the dressing room. We also have a complaint against Mr Bharat Arun Kumar also. He was after my assistant Mr. Ramesh Mhamunkar and coaxing him to put water on the pitch. On the day he started firing him saying 'you don't listen to me, I have been calling you since yesterday night. Why aren't you receiving my call?'," Naik wrote."I would like to ask management, who is Mr Bharat Arun Kumar and what right does he have to fire my assistant? His job is to coach bowlers, immediately after Mr Ravi Shastri abused me, I went and informed the incident to Mr Dilip Vengsakar (Mumbai Cricket Association vice-president) and Prof RS Shetty (game development manager, BCCI). Such trends will spoil the harmony between Associations and BCCI. I request you both to reprimand both Mr Ravi Shastri and Mr Bharat Arun," he concluded.Meanwhile, the Mumbai Cricket Association has asked vice-president and former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar to enquire into the matter.