Former India players Irfan Pathan, Manoj Tiwary and Dodda Ganesh had earlier voiced their support for Jaffer
Former India captain Anil Kumble on Thursday extended support to his former team-mate Wasim Jaffer after the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) alleged that he had tried to force religion-based selections as the state team’s coach. Jaffer, on Wednesday, put up a tweet clarifying the allegations to which former India players Irfan Pathan, Manoj Tiwary, and Dodda Ganesh also replied to in support.
A day after resigning as Uttarakhand head coach because of “interference in team selection”, Jaffer denied allegations – reportedly levelled against him by senior officials of CAU – that he was creating a communal divide in the dressing room.
“With you Wasim,” Kumble, who also currently heads the ICC’s cricket committee, tweeted. “Did the right thing. Unfortunately it’s the players who’ll miss your mentorship.”
Jaffer, a domestic stalwart who played 31 Tests for India, called a virtual media briefing on his own on Wednesday where he explained that he was only saying that the Uttarakhand team “shouldn’t have a religious slogan” since the team has players from different religions.
He was also accused of pushing for former Mumbai left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla over local player Kunal Chandela as captain for the forthcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jaffer pointed out his original choice was Dikshanshu Negi and not Abdulla, one of the professional players he had got at Uttarakhand along with Jay Bista, Samad Fallah, and Santosh Saxena.