Shardul Thakur Shouldn’t Have Resumed Outdoor Training Without Permission: Unamed BCCI Official

Indian pacer Shardul Thakur, who reportedly resumed outdoor training a day after International Cricket Council (ICC) released SOPs and guidelines for the resumption of training for players and the organisers, could find himself in hot waters after an unnamed ‘BCCI official’ expressed concern over Thakur’s training without seeking permission from the board.

After two months, Thakur hit a local ground at Boisar in Maharashtra’s Palghar district along with some domestic players.

“Yes, we practised today. It was good and definitely pleasing to practice after two months,” Thakur, who has played one Test, 11 ODIs and 15 T20Is, told PTI.

The central government had recently relaxed restrictions in the fourth phase of the lockdown, which extends till May 31. As per the new rules, stadiums for individual training can be opened in green and orange zones, without spectators.

However, hours after Thakur was hailed as the first cricketer to resume training by PTI, IANS spoke to a BCCI official and in a source-based story seem to suggest that the bowler has breached some kind of a protocol.

“He isn’t allowed as he is contracted. Sadly, he went on his own. Shouldn’t have done this, not a smart move,” the unnamed official ‘rued’ as quoted by IANS.

The agency report further quotes a further source in the board saying: “Sources in the board further said that while he trained in Palghar district – a non-red zone – it wasn’t very smart on his part to go ahead and train without taking an approval from the board at a time when the BCCI is doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the players.”

The report goes on to say that the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer despite being in Mumbai have ensured that they stay indoors and have not hit any sports complex, but Thakur, a BCCI contracted player under Grade C choose to train outdoors in a state which has seen one of the most number of coronavirus cases in the country.