Karnataka’s K Gowtham has been dropped from the India A squad for the two four-day games against New Zealand, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Thursday, reported ESPNcricinfo.
Gowtham, who was playing for India Red in the Duleep Trophy played the opening game in Lucknow on September 8. However, he fell ill on the last day of the match against India Green and couldn’t take the field. He then skipped the second game and produced a medical certificate that stated he had typhoid. However, on September 12, he was playing in the ongoing Karnataka Premier League for Belagavi Panthers. He is the highest-paid player in the league at Rs 7.2 lakh.
When the BCCI found out, they decided to drop Gowtham for disciplinary reasons amounting to “gross insult to the system”.
The BCCI is likely to initiate a disciplinary inquiry into the matter, pending which he will not be considered for India A selection.
“Gowtham opted out of the Duleep Trophy game during the first match and even produced a medical certificate that he was unwell. Two days later, he was found playing in the Karnataka Premier League. This is gross insult to the system,” BCCI CEO Rahul Johri told The Times of India. “A player can’t take a national-level tournament for granted like this. The board is looking into this incident and till the enquiry is over, he will not be picked for India A team.”
He has been replaced by Karn Sharma in the 15-man squad for the two matches, which starts from September 23 in Vijayawada. Karn is currently the leading wicket-taker in the Duleep Trophy, with 15 wickets from two matches. However, now he will miss the Duleep Trophy final starting September 25 in Lucknow.
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