EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 18 SPORT TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Rishabh Pant faces a serious reality check in white­ball cricket The wicketkeeper­batsman has not done enough to justify the think­tank’s faith SA IN INDIA making it to the Indian ribbean, came after a dis­ criticism is equally quick to tential to seriously hurt the team, he is considered most mal sequence of 3, 1 (against follow. team. For the record, Pant RAKESH RAO suited for the 20­over game. Australia), 0 and 4 (against has an average of 44.35 in MOHALI the West Indies). Shastri not pleased Tests, 22.90 in ODIs and just Story of inconsistency Clearly, Pant has not No wonder, Shastri ex­ 21.57 in T20s. The rained­off opener in the However, going beyond rep­ done enough to justify the pressed his displeasure re­ The sustained faith of the three­match T20 series at utation, Pant’s statistics in faith of the team’s think­ cently by pointing out National selectors on Pant, Dharamshala means India the shortest format tell a tank. When playing a Pant’s first­ball dismissal in in all three formats, seems and South Africa have one story of inconsistency. In 17 match­winning role, any the ODI at Trinidad last to have almost slammed the opportunity less to test innings, Pant has 10 single­ stroke­maker looks good. month, to illustrate the door on the future of the their new recruits. digit scores. Pant is no different. But point. more experienced duo of Besides the lesser­known Pant’s highest of 65 not sometimes, when he gets it Indeed, Pant’s inconsis­ Wriddhiman Saha in Tests names waiting in both the out at Providence, in his wrong and departs in trying tency was not missed by the and Dinesh Karthik in ODIs. dugouts to come good this previous outing in the Ca­ to slog the first ball he faces, team even in the euphoria week at Mohali and Benga­ that follows his rare, ram­ Time needed luru, one man eager to paging knocks. No one questions Saha’s su­ change the current narra­ Much like Virender Seh­ perior ’keeping skills and tive is Rishabh Pant. CSA, Amul join forces wag at the start of his inter­ Karthik’s steady head in Rebuked by coach Ravi national career around two crunch situations. Shastri for his “rash stroke Press Trust of India remaining two games. decades ago, Pant, too, has Pant surely needs time to selection” in crunch situa­ NEW DELHI “Amul is very proud to delighted and disappointed mature and that seems to be tions, the 21­year­old wick­ India dairy giant Amul be associated as the his fans in almost equal the reason behind the selec­ etkeeper­batsman is facing was on Monday roped in Asian partner to the measure. tors’ persistence. some serious reality check by Cricket South Africa Standard Bank Proteas Many experts feel, given Even in T20 or ODIs, ma­ in white ball cricket. (CSA) as its new partner for the forthcoming T20 the youngster’s mindset ny feel Pant stands to gain Pant realises that de­ for the ongoing three­ matches,” Dr. R.S. Sodhi, and free­stroking approach much from the calming pre­ pending on the result of the match T20I series Managing Director, to the challenges of mod­ sence of M.S. Dhoni, if avail­ shot he attempts, opinions against Virat Kohli’s men. Amul, said. ern­day cricket, no serious able. get reinforced. Amul, ranked 73rd “CSA is excited about corrections are needed. For now, the youngster is One among the few play­ globally, will feature on our new partnership When the going is good, all by himself. Before it’s too ing all three formats, Pant is the back of the T20 shirt with Amul,” said CSA Pant becomes the best ad­ late, he has to find ways of yet to firm up his place. of the South African Chief Executive Thabang vertisement of batsmanship contributing more to the Since Pant made an impres­ team during the Moroe. in white ball cricket. But his team, and not playing to the Talented, but... Rishabh Pant needs to put his head down and make sure to put a price on his sion during the IPL before inconsistency has the po­ galleries. wicket. * AKHILESH KUMAR BCCI accepts FIR filed against two for CONTROVERSY Allegations of fixing surface in TNPL Karthik’s apology ‘match­fixing’ attempt TNCA has constituted a panel to look into the charges S. Dinakar DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD a full­blown crisis for the case against them. It is also DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Chennai TNPL. possible that these men are ACU chief says action taken after a leading women’s B The issue has developed There are serious questions Allegations, in particular, innocent and victims of cir­ into a full-blown crisis for cricketer alerted the unit being asked about the Tamil have been made against a cumstances. Time will tell. the TNPL Nadu Premier League. And First Class batsman with a A franchise, with a ques­ B Some cricketers have been Shayan Acharya corded the conversation she learnt that Bafna offered the they travel to the heart of the penchant for attacking crick­ tionable ownership pattern MUMBAI approached through had with one of the accused player ₹1 lakh per match dur­ competition itself. et, a top­order southpaw and rather dubious selection WhatsApp messages The Anti­Corruption Unit over the telephone,” BCCI ing the India­England series. Is the league clean? Or, with loads of experience, of its XI for the various (ACU) of the Board of Con­ ACU chief Ajit Singh told Bafna — who hails from Od­ are some cricketers dirty? and a coach who was a fine games, is under the micro­ B There is also an urgent need for the TNCA to trol for Cricket in India Sportstar. isha — also requested the Have there been any instanc­ left­hander in his time. A scope too. The side has fal­ increase the fee to the (BCCI) has registered a First player if the ODI captain of es of match or spot­fixing in couple of lesser­known len into bad days after a players Information Report (FIR) Modus operandi the team could also be roped this Twenty20 competition coaches, one without any rousing beginning. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD against two individuals — Ra­ Kothari — who claimed to be in for the ‘plan’. last season? First Class experience, are al­ Dinesh Karthik. * FILE PHOTO kesh Bafna and Jitendra a sports manager — got in “Initially the call was Right now there is an in­ so under a cloud. Security issues access to the players in the Kothari — at the Ashok Nagar low key hotels in the districts Press Trust of India touch with the cricketer last made via WhatsApp and Baf­ vestigation by the BCCI’s An­ At this moment, these are While the security at the Police Station in Bengaluru is rather easy. New Delhi year through Instagram, of­ na said that endorsement ti Corruption Unit (ACU) to nothing more than allega­ TNPL venues during the for an alleged attempt of fering her managerial servic­ would be for a noted Indian probe into the allegations. tions. The ACU needs to met­ games is tight — there are It is here that some du­ The Board of Control for match­fixing and cheating. es. After a few weeks, he clothing brand. But soon, he Apparently, the ACU has iculously collect evidence, if four ACU officers present — bious deals, potentially, Cricket in India (BCCI) on According to the FIR, Baf­ couriered a copy of a con­ directly approached her to some evidence on a few there are any, and build a many are of the view that the could be done. There is thus Monday accepted India na had approached one of tract, but the player could fix matches. The player told players and coaches but it re­ a need for tight security at wicketkeeper­batsman Di­ the prominent members of not sign it since she was tour­ him that there was a bad mains to be seen if that the hotels. Right now, they nesh Karthik’s uncondi­ India’s National women’s ing with the Indian team. connection and he could call would be enough to nail are porous. tional apology for violating team (name withheld on re­ However, the cricketer de­ her on her regular number,” them. No international player Some cricketers have a clause of his central con­ quest) earlier this year, offer­ cided to not sign the con­ Ajit said. been approached through tract by watching a Carib­ ing her a huge amount of tract later. LS in panel WhatsApp messages. And bean Premier League money if she joined hands In February this year, Recorded conversation The TNCA, stung by the alle­ involved: ACU chief many of them have been re­ match from a participating with them. Kothari again contacted the On realising that things were gations, has constituted a pa­ ported by the cricketers to team’s dressing room. The incident happened in player and put her through fishy, the cricketer recorded nel to look into the charges. Press Trust of India out who those people the ACU. Karthik tendered an February, ahead of the limit­ to Bafna — claiming he had a the conversation and report­ The committee includes NEW DELHI are. We have recorded There is also an urgent “unconditional apology” ed­overs series against En­ business offer for her. At that ed the matter to BCCI’s ACU. former cricketers such as L. The BCCI’s ACU chief Ajit the statements of the need for the TNCA to in­ for violating BCCI’s central gland — which was part of In­ time, the player was at the Since the incident hap­ Sivaramakrishnan.