The Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA) has condemned the threats sent by a journalist to Wriddhiman Saha.

Saha tweeted a screenshot of texts sent by a journalist on Saturday, February 19, a day after he was left out of India’s Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka.

When prominent figures like Ravi Shastri, Parthiv Patel, and Virender Sehwag joined in the criticism of the alleged journalist, the situation turned heated.

The BCCI was also aware of the situation, and treasurer Arun Dhumal stated on record that secretary Jay Shah will deal with the wicket-keeper.

“We acknowledge the fact that the media plays a very important role both in the growth of our game and the players but there’s always a line that must never be crossed. What has happened in Saha’s case is unacceptable and we call for the respective press organizations to take up the matter and ensure such things are not repeated,” said ICA President Ashok Malhotra.

“At the ICA our foremost concern is the welfare of cricketers, past and present, and we cannot accept such behavior from anyone let alone a journalist. We are full with Saha and request him to reveal the journalist’s name. Should the BCCI feel the need to cancel the erring journalist’s accreditation and access to any BCCI event, we will fully support the move,” he added.

“We would offer our full support to Saha at this juncture. No player should be subjected to such ‘threats’ from anyone in the media or elsewhere. We urge the media also to come out in support of Saha and ensure that these sorts of issues don’t crop up again,” said Hitesh Majumdar, the ICA Secretary. “Any interaction between a player and the media has always to be voluntary.”

Because Saha is a centrally contracted player, the dynamics of the debate have shifted. The BCCI may be required to take any action on this topic and Saha may also be forced to give the name of the journalist.

The threat from the journalist is only one facet of the problem. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly promised Saha of his selection as long as he is in office, while head coach Rahul Dravid recommended the wicket-keeper to retire.

“The team management had told me that I would not be considered henceforth. I could not tell this so long as I was part of the India team setup. Even coach Rahul Dravid suggested that I think about taking retirement,” Wriddhiman Saha said.

Saha also discussed his chat with Ganguly, in which he assured Ganguly of his spot in the team.

“When I hit an unbeaten 61 taking a pain-killer in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur last November, Dadi (Ganguly) congratulated me over Whatsapp. He even mentioned that I should not worry about anything so long as he is at the helm of the BCCI. Such a message from the board president boosted my confidence. But I failed to understand why everything changed so fast.”

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