Indian cricket team will have a new batting coach when they kickstart their home campaign - Vikram Rathour has replaced Sanjay Bangar while the rest of the support staff and head coach Ravi Shastri were retained in their roles. As per a report in Times of India, this did not go down too well with Bangar who barged into the room of the selectors even as the meeting was going on in a bid to threaten them and influence their decision.
"(When the selection committee was conducting interviews) … He went and knocked on Devang's door late in the evening and gave him and the selection committee an earful. He warned the selectors that the team would rally around him and the decision (to replace him) would fall flat. It wasn't required. It wasn't the team's job to decide on support staff. It was the selectors' call," a source told TOI.
There have been complaints against Bangar in the past
The report also mentions that the behaviour of Bangar, even in the past, has not been up to the mark and CoA has been apprised of the issue. "But that is not a decision for the selection committee to make. Right now, the board is clearly not happy with his behaviour. Too many instances have been brought to the notice of COA chief Vinod Rai," said a source.
However, the BCCI has said that they will not question Bangar on disciplinary grounds unless Ravi Shastri or the manager submits a report specifically on this issue.
"In such a scenario, one needs to go strictly by the rule book. First and foremost, the man who Bangar is alleged to have insulted, the national selector Gandhi, he needs to officially report the matter," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
While the BCCI officials acknowledged Bangar's confrontation with Gandhi they are not sure whether the matter should be escalated now that he is no longer contracted by the BCCI.
"Outgoing administrative manager Subramanian, in his mandatory report, needs to mention the matter clearly. Last but not the least, head coach Shastri, Bangar's reporting head, also needs to file it in writing that such an incident happened," the official said.
