Cricketer 1, BCCI 0

Round 1 to player power. A day before DV Subba Rao begins his inquiry into the bribery allegations, Abhijit Kale received a major boost when...

Round 1 to player power. A day before DV Subba Rao begins his inquiry into the bribery allegations, Abhijit Kale received a major boost when a Pune court deemed that he could not be denied the right to play and ordered the BCCI to restrain from suspending him from playing Ranji Trophy matches till the inquiry is completed.

Kale reacted by pumping his fist in the air, but whether Justice VD Kulkarni’s order — passed ‘‘considering the principles of natural justice’’ — translates to him actually padding up depends on the MCA, his parent body. Maharashtra’s next match is against Orissa at Cuttack from Monday.

	THE ROAD AHEAD

			Nov 29: BCCI Commissioner DV Subba Rao will begin his enquiry in Vizag, expected to be one-day affair but may get extended by a day if necessary Nov 30: BCCI’s emergency working committee will take up the issue and also form the disciplinary committee Story continues below this ad Dec 1-4: Maharashtra begin Ranji Plate ‘B’ encounter against Orissa at Cuttack, Kale will join the team on Sunday Dec 5: The 15-day time period for Rao’s inquiry set by Jagmohan Dalmiya ends Dec 6: Rao report will get referred to BCCI disciplinary committee

True to form, the MCA changed its stand on the player yet again. Interim president Balasaheb Thorve said: ‘‘I have never interfered with selection procedures. The decision on Abhijit’s playing is best left to the manager of the team.” Thus leaving room open for conjecture.

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In Cuttack, chief selector Yajurvindra Singh reacted warily. ‘‘If it’s left to me, then Kale will play,” he told The Indian Express. Kale is the team’s vice-captain and the squad hadn’t named a replacement after his suspension.

However, that the Board will not take this lying down was clear from its reaction to Justice VD Kulkarni’s order. After his objection was rejected, counsel Milind Hartalkar said the BCCI would go to the High Court as soon as it received a copy of the order. Hartalkar said the court had wrongly interpreted Clause 38 of the BCCI constitution, dealing with the president’s right to suspend a player.

And, in what seems to be a gross transgression, Hartalkar said: ‘‘Though Kale is free to play, he will probably be only in the squad of fifteen and not in the final XI.”

The player himself appeared greatly relieved by the order, telling reporters that he would now go to Vizag to clear his name. ‘‘I am happy that I’ve been allowed to play. The best way out for me now is to just keep scoring runs and and all this will certainly not affect me. On my part I will also co-operate with the BCCI commissioner.’’

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Kale leaves for Vizag on the morrow and will join his Maharashtra teammates on Sunday a day before the Maharashtra v Orissa match.