Chetan Sharma TV sting row: ‘Indian cricketers take injections to play’

BCCI’s chief selector Chetan Sharma was caught in a controversy on Tuesday after he allegedly revealed classified selection matters during a sting operation conducted by a TV channel.

Sharma, who was recently reinstated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after being removed following India’s showing in the T20 World Cup in Australia, was seen during the sting operation casting aspersions on players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Sharma also allegedly revealed his internal discussions with head coach Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli during the sting conducted by Zee News.

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Sharma alleged that a lot of players take injections to expedite their return to competitive cricket despite being 80 to 85 per cent fit.

“The players are not fit but they take injections to play. They are ready to play even at 80 per cent fitness. They take injections and start playing,” Sharma said in the sting operation video.

“Even if they are around 85 per cent fit, they will say ‘Sir let us play’ but they are not cleared by the medical team that is where the problem lies. The players always want to play, they never refuse to play.

“Bumrah could not even bend so what can he do? 1-2 such major injuries happen. Otherwise even at 80 percent (fitness) they are so naughty that they quietly sneak into a corner and take the injection and say ‘Sir we are fit’.

“It is an injection, not pain killer. We don’t even know that they have taken the injection. For pain killer, they need a prescription, it can also come under doping… With regards to injection, they know which injections don’t come under anti-doping,” he added.

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The former India pace bowler also alleged that there was a difference of opinion between him and the team management over Bumrah’s return from a stress fracture for the T20I series against Australia in September.

Bumrah still continues to be out of action, and will likely miss the entire four-Test Border-Gavaskar series and the three-match ODI series after that.

Sharma also alleged that there was an ego tussle between former captain Kohli and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

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It is learnt that the BCCI is looking into the matter, as national selectors are bound by contract and not supposed to speak to the media.

“It will be (BCCI secretary) Jay’s (Shah) call as to what will be Chetan’s future. The question is whether T20 skipper Hardik Pandya or ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma would like to sit with Chetan in a selection meeting knowing that he has let out internal discussions,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

(With agency inputs)