India vs West Indies: Team manager allowed to stay in WI after apology

The Indian cricket Board ordered the team’s administrative manager, Sunil Subramanian, home from the West Indies on disciplinary grounds on Wednesday, before allowing him to stay on till the end of the tour after he gave an “unconditional apology”.

Subramanian was hauled up for allegedly misbehaving with senior foreign service officials from the Indian high commissions in the Caribbean after they contacted him with a request from the government for a video shoot by Indian players to promote water conservation, a senior Board official told PTI.

However, Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai let him off with a reprimand following the apology. “Sunil Subramanian didn’t know that it was a request from the Government of India. I had initially thought of recalling him but in the evening, after he tendered an unconditional apology, I have decided to keep him for the remainder of the tour,” Rai told PTI. “He will complete this tour as I have now accepted his apology.”

Subramanian, a former Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner who took up the post in July 2017, was initially sent flight tickets to return at the earliest.

“The Indian team had a fairly long shoot on ‘water conservation’ project and he needed to oversee that. Once that was over, he was sent an e-mail instructing him to choose the earliest available flight. There is no chance that he is staying back,” a senior Board official had said earlier on Wednesday.

A government official privy to the development said the action was taken by BCCI probably after reports from the Indian high commission in Trinidad and Tobago.

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Subramanian also repeatedly avoided taking calls from senior government officials and then from the BCCI brass. “When a very senior person from the Indian high commission in Trinidad and Tobago called up Subramanian seeking his co-operation, he told him ‘don’t flood me with messages’. The BCCI has come to know that he refused to entertain their calls when all they were doing was to carry out the government’s directive,” a senior official said.

It remains to be seen whether Subramanian, a shortlisted candidate for the manager’s interview, will now be considered.

Subramanian, in his apology, reportedly cited stress for his behaviour.

“In his apology, he has said he was sleep deprived and under stress, which resulted in poor behaviour. He has apologised unconditionally. But you have to understand that the matter had reached the highest levels of the government and the BCCI can’t be seen doing nothing on the matter,” the BCCI official said.

Subramanian, a former coach of R Ashwin, played 74 first-class games and took 285 wickets.