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Cuttack, August 1: The lacklustre attitude of the national selectors towards Orissa cricketers became apparent once more with none from the state finding a place in the India A squad for the tri-
series between South Africa and Australia A sides. The team for the two-Test series against South Africa A also does not have any Orissa representation.
The omission of Basant Mohanty has really raised eyebrows. This tall, gangly medium pacer has been bowling consistently well for the last three seasons. In the 2014-15 season, he captured 37 wickets and yet has been ignored once again.
The silence of the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) on this issue has surprised the cricket-loving fans in the state. It seems that the OCA officials are keen to find a place in various committees of the BCCI rather than fight for the cricketers, some of whom have been doing reasonably well in the domestic circuit. More than a decade has passed since Debashis Mohanty and Shiv Sundar Das represented the country. If things continue in this manner, the state cricketers will definitely lose heart. They are also not considered for the IPL.
However OCA secretary Asirbad Behera stated Saturday, that the state players have not been performing consistently well in the domestic circuit. “I can’t comment about the IPL as the selection depends completely upon the franchisees,” stated Behera. “An occasional five-wicket haul here and a one-off century there is not really enough to come into the national reckoning. Orissa players will have to score runs and get wickets consistently,” he asserted.
