"She has not received any communication" - Lisa Sthalekar blasts BCCI over Veda Krishnamurthy's exclusion from England tour
Former Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar has slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not communicating with Veda Krishnamurthy over her exclusion from the Indian women's team's squads for the upcoming tour of England.
Veda Krishnamurthy, who tragically lost her mother and sister to COVID-19 recently, was conspicuous by her absence from the squads for all three formats. A middle-order batter, Veda has been an integral member of the Indian team and was part of the squad that reached the T20 World Cup final last year.
Posting on her official Twitter handle, Lisa Sthalekar reproached the BCCI for not even bothering to check on Veda at this somber hour. She also reprimanded the board for 'focusing solely on just the game'.
"Whilst not selecting Veda for the upcoming series may be justified from their point of view, what angers me the most is that as a contracted player she has not received any communication from BCCI, just to even check how she is coping. A true association should deeply care about the players that play the game not focus solely on just the game at any cost. So disappointed," said Lisa Sthalekar.
Veda Krishnamurthy has featured in 48 ODIs and 76 T20Is for India, scoring 829 and 875 runs respectively in the two formats. The 28-year-old has courted immense praise recently for helping out others during the pandemic despite her own loss.
Surely need a Players Association in India: Lisa Sthalekar
Further citing the example of the Australian Cricketers' Association - an organization of domestic and international players - Lisa Sthalekar said India needs such a body now as well. Lisa Sthalekar also shed light on the pandemic's effect on the mental health of the players.
"As a past player, the ACA has reached out daily to see how we are and provided all kinds of services. If there was [ever] a need for a Players Association in [India] surely it is now. The stress, anxiety, fear and grief that many players have experienced through this pandemic will take its toll on them as individuals and inadvertently affect the game," concluded Lisa Sthalekar.
Indian women's team's tour to England will kick off on 16 June with a solitary Test between the two sides. It will be followed by three ODIs on 27 June, 30 June, and 3 July.