At a time when the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) under the supervision of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) hasfailed to back former India skipper M.S. Dhoni in the Army insignia controversy,his teammates have come together and urged him to continue sporting theBalidaan Badge on his wicket-keeping gloves for the match against Australia onSunday.
Sources in the know of developments in the Indian camp saidthat while the final decision rests with Dhoni, the former India skipper hasbeen told by team members that they will back him and support whatever call hetakes with regards to sporting the badge on his gloves.
“The unity is evident and respect they have for the formerskipper is unquestionable. The players have made it very clear to Dhoni thatwhile the decision on whether he wears the same gloves against Australia or notlies with him, they are with him and will back him. They have in fact urged himto keep wearing the same gloves that he wore in India’s opening game of theWorld Cup,” the source said.
The source further added that while the ICC in its statementto the media on Friday said that no personal messages or individual logo wasallowed, it doesn’t hold ground in Dhoni’s case on two counts.
“Firstly, you cannot have any other member wearinggloves while fielding. So, there is no question of it being done by all teammembers. Secondly, the others don’t hold honourary post in the armed forces.So, why would they be sporting an Army insignia? The ICC still has someanswering to do and the Indian team isn’t convinced with the reasons presentedbehind disapproving the request from the Indian board to allow Dhoni tocontinue with the gloves,” the source explained.
Interestingly, vice-captain Rohit Sharma had already given ahint on what was to be the team’s line of action when he told the media onSaturday that they should wait and watch what happens in this regard when Indiatake the field against Australia on Sunday.
As per regulations, Dhoni would be reprimanded if he does goahead and agree to wear the gloves on Sunday. The second offence would attracta fine of 25 per cent of the match fee. A third offence would mean a 50 percent fine of the fee and a fourth offence would see the player losing 75 percent of his match fee. All of this within 12 months.
The whole issue started during India’s opening game againstSouth Africa in the ongoing World Cup when Dhoni once again professed his lovefor the security forces after he was spotted with regimental dagger insignia ofthe Indian Para Special Forces on his wicket-keeping gloves.