Karn out of tour, picks injury playing in local tournament

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 6

Leg-spinner Karn Sharma has been ruled out of the upcoming Zimbabwe tour after he fractured his finger. The BCCI, in a short media release, said there would be no replacement for the leg-spinner. The release, however, didn’t go into the details like how and where he sustained the injury.

The 27-year-old injured his middle finger while playing in a local T20 tournament, organised by a property dealer, at Meerut, his hometown. He picked up the injury in the final on Sunday while going for a caught and bowled chance.

The tournament was neither sanctioned by the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), nor did Karn inform the BCCI about his participation.

According to a BCCI official, a player cannot participate in any non-sanctioned event without informing the Board in advance. “Karn has the experience of international cricket. He should have informed the local association and the Board. Had he informed us in advance, we wouldn’t have given him the permission. Given the sub-standard pitches used in these local tournaments, there’s always a risk of getting injured. Karn would be asked to explain this,” said the board official.

Karn’s indiscretion has not only resulted in him missing the tour, but also the team will have one spinner less. Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel are the two spinners in the side.

Interestingly, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is a BCCI contracted player, and Praveen Kumar also participated in the tournament without informing the Board.

“One should avoid playing in such tournaments ahead of international tours. During monsoon, playing conditions aren’t good in such tournaments and one could easily pick up an injury. He has lost out on a great opportunity because of his indiscretion,” said former India opener Chetan Chauhan.