5 Major cases which tarnished domestic cricket bodies' image

Cricket is called a gentleman’s sport for its ability to uphold the values of the game. Over the years the game has seen a heady mix of corporates and politics get involved in the game. 

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There have been many incidents and instances in Indian Cricket where a cricketer or team has to deal with politics. On many occasions, the playing future of a player or the team has come into disrepute. 

Here we take a closer look at the top 5 instances where politics reared its head in cricket. 

Virat Kohli – Bribe to get selected –

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Former India skipper Virat Kohli recounted a harrowing tale where politics in cricket played its part. During an interaction with football star Sunil Chettri, Kohli said “In my home state. Sometimes things happen that aren’t fair, on one occasion a certain someone did not play by the rules when it came to selection criteria”. The 35-year-old also revealed “He told my father, while I had merit, a little extra was needed to confirm by selection”

Nitish Rana – removed from captaincy 

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Out of favour India star and IPL batter Nitish Rana moved from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh at the start of this season. One of the reasons given behind the move was that the left-handed batter felt he wasn’t valued enough. “It was in my mind that the dressing room culture in Delhi wasn’t good for my career. I felt a change was necessary”

Hanuma Vihari – Andhra Cricket Controversy 

In one of the latest instances, India batter Hanuma Vihari had a falling out with the Andhra Cricket Association. The player had vented his frustrations on social media after his team lost to Madhya Pradesh on Monday. Without taking the name of the player, Vihari had written how he was asked to relinquish his captaincy mid-way through the season. This also prompted the 30-year-old to severe ties with his state association. 

Hardy Sandhu – Case of mistaken identity 

Punjabi singer Hardy Sandhu was a pace bowler of promise during his early days. In fact he had played with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shikhar Dhawan, and many more Indian stars. During a chat show with Raj Shimani, the singer recounted how he lost a chance to play for India Under-19. Former India spinner Rahul Sharma’s nickname is Venky which also happened to be the short name of then-coach Venkatesh Prasad. The misunderstanding cost young Hardy Sandhu his career. 

Tejasvi Yadav – IPL contract 

Former Bihar Chief Minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav's son Tejhasvi Yadav was given an IPL contract. It was a surprising move as the youngster had played just a handful of games for Jharkhand. What made it even more interesting was that Delhi retained him in their contract books from 2008 to 2012.