BCCI accepts Gowtham's apology, matter closed

What's the story?

The BCCI has accepted the unconditional apology tendered by K Gowtham after the board had suspended him last month for 'insulting' the Duleep Trophy. Gowtham had excused himself from the Duleep opener in Kanpur saying he was suffering from typhoid but appeared for a KPL match in Mysore for Belagavi Panthers only two days after taking a leave from his India Red team.

The disciplinary committee of the board, led by acting president CK Khanna, accepted Gowtham's apology and closed the proceedings against him. Khanna, who had said that the player had shown disrespect towards the Duleep Trophy, is understood to have received an undertaking from Gowtham, which states that he would repeat the mistake again.

"The BCCI disciplinary panel has decided to close the matter," a source privy to the development told TOI.

In case you didn't know...

Last month, the 28-year-old had been issued a show-cause notice by the board, asking him to explain his actions. The Karnataka all-rounder had come up with a justification, although a bleak one, saying that he had deemed himself fit for the rigours of a short T20 game but not for a full-length first-class game.

As a consequence of his actions, the all-rounder's name was struck off the squad for the two four-day games against New Zealand 'A' and was suspended by the board until further notice.

The details

Gowtham has also taken cognizance of his actions and has confirmed the development. "Yes, I have received a letter from the BCCI accepting my apology. I'm grateful to the BCCI disciplinary committee and I assure everyone concerned that I will not make any further mistakes. I'm thankful to the KSCA management for all their support," the cricketer told TOI.

"I've been practicing hard for the Ranji Trophy tournament. I want to put this behind me and concentrate on playing to my potential and winning matches for my state and representing the country in the future," he added.

What's next?

Now that the apology has been accepted, it remains to be seen whether Karnataka, who are yet to name their squad for the Ranji Trophy opener, pick him for the season. Karnataka play their first Ranji match against Assam on October 14.

Author's take

It is good on Gowtham's part to have come clean in this fiasco and a timely apology augurs well for the cricketer who had only just started to put himself in contention for selection in the senior men's team. He was picked for the 'A' tour to South Africa and played a crucial role in India's victory in the second four-day game, which also helped the visitors level the series 1-1.

Gowtham had picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings for India Red in the Duleep opener and was also named in the 'A' squad to take on New Zealand 'A' at home. The cricketer would hope that the selectors now take this episode as a thing of the past and put the same amount of trust in the cricketer as they had during the 'A' tours.