Reports: Suresh Raina 'rested' for Zimbabwe tour at BCCI's behest because of corruption allegations

Ajinkya Rahane was named India captain for India’s recent tour of Zimbabwe

Suresh Raina had been named India captain but was ‘rested’ for the Zimbabwe tour after the BCCI intervened, according to a report in The Indian Express. The reason why BCCI did not want Raina to be captain was because he had been accused of corrupt practices by former IPL chief Lalit Modi.

The subsequent naming of Ajinkya Rahane as captain for India’s tour of Zimbabwe raised many eyebrows, because it had been thought that either of Suresh Raina or Rohit Sharma would be handed the responsibility in the absence of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

Lalit Modi had sent an e-mail to the ICC, where he had alleged that Raina, along with CSK players Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo, had accepted favours from an Indian real estate tycoon in some kind of a deal.

This information became public on June 27 – two days before the selection committee was scheduled to meet to name India’s squad for the Zimbabwe series. The selectors had initially named Raina captain for three ODIs and two T20s, but had to give way after a top BCCI official vetoed the move.

A weaker India side was sent to the African nation than the one chosen by the selection committee, with as many as seven senior players rested – Raina, India’s most senior limited-overs specialist, one of them.

How justified was the move?

BCCI’s adamance in not wanting the tainted Raina as captain of India put the selectors into a fix, but this is not as unusual an instance as it might seem.

As per the BCCI selection committee protocol, the convener of the selection meeting has to get clearance from the BCCI President before announcing the team. If the BCCI President is not happy with any decision, he has the power to overrule the selection committee.

The most famous precedent of the BCCI acting in a similar manner in recent memory is when N Srinivasan, BCCI chief, stepped in to overrule the decision by the selection committee to strip MS Dhoni of the captaincy and name Virat Kohli as his successor in 2012.

Suresh Raina had said on the matter then, “I would like to make my fans around the world aware, and clear the air that I have always played the game in the right spirit and with utmost integrity. I have never been involved in any wrongdoing and all allegations against me are false. Playing cricket is my passion, for whichever team I have represented.”