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Team Virbhadra to stay away from ODI
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Groundsmen prepare the pitch on the eve of India-West Indies ODI in Dharamsala on Thursday. PTI

Dharamsala, October 16
The Congress-BJP tussle over the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) seems never-ending as state Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, have decided to stay away from tomorrow’s ODI between India and West Indies at Dharamsala.

The CM tried to downplay politics in cricket and said he would have loved to be present at the stadium, but it was not possible due to prior engagements. Virbhadra said he had attended a cricket match at Dharamsala in the past.

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, will be the chief guest for the match.

It was expected that the Congress would maintain a distance as the ODI will be a show managed by the HPCA headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur. The HPCA has been at the receiving end ever since the Congress assumed power in the state in December 2012. The cricket body is facing six vigilance cases.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Transport GS Bali, who belongs to Kangra, said he would not be able to come to Dharamsala for the match tomorrow. “I received an invitation for the match from the HPCA by post, but nobody invited me personally,” he said.

“I congratulate the HPCA for hosting the ODI here. I have directed officials to help the HPCA for the match,” he said. Local MLA and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma was not available for comment.

BJP MP from Hamirpur and HPCA chief Anurag Thakur said invitations were sent to all politicians, including Congress leaders. “It’s up to them to attend or skip the prestigious event,” he said.

Thakur, who is also the joint secretary of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), said it was a matter of pride for Himachal to host an international match. “Four out of five selectors of the Indian cricket team have arrived here and some big names of the cricketing world, including Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, Ian Bishop, Alan Wilkins, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Michael Holding are coming as commentators,” he said.