Rathour's appointment as India A, U-19 batting coach put on hold after conflict of interest

Add as a preferred source on Google

New Delhi, February 12: Former India opener Vikram Rathour's appointment as the batting coach of the India A and under-19 teams has been put on hold on account of a conflict of interest - he is the brother-in-law of current U-19 national selector Ashish Kapoor.

Rathour was supposed to join the India A team for the first 'Test' against the England Lions in Wayanad. The matter was brought to the notice of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) appointed by the Supreme Court to administer the daily activities of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"Yes, the CoA had given a go-ahead for Rathour's appointment, but today (Monday) Rathour gave a written declaration of his relation with Kapoor," a senior BCCI official said on condition of anonymity.

"Now the matter was discussed with Mr (CoA head Vinod) Rai and it was concluded that only an ethics officer could have decided if Rathour working with the U-19s during the quadrangular series would be tantamount to conflict of interest," he said.

However, with no ethics officer in the BCCI, Rathour's appointment would have sent out the wrong signal. "The appointment letter was not signed. Saba had only got a go-ahead on the basis of Dravid's recommendation. For now, he will not be recruited in the A or U-19 set up," the official confirmed.

While India A coach Rahul Dravid wanted Rathour in the India A and U-19 roster, Saba Karim, the BCCI's general manager for cricket operations, did not intimate the CoA about the conflict of interest.