Team India players Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma on Wednesday received strong support in their fight against the DDCA from two of the government nominees appointed to oversee the association’s functioning.

Members of Parliament Vibhakar Shastri and Deepinder Singh Hooda lashed out at the DDCA, calling for immediate measures to resolve the crisis. Shastri, a Lok Sabha MP from Fatehpur, called it a “disgrace to the organisation”, while Hooda, elected from Rohtak, said he was “completely backing Sehwag”. The third nominee, Minister of State for IT & Communications, Sachin Pilot, could not be immediately reached for comments.

The government nominees have a supervisory role in the DDCA, and have the power to directly recommend its dissolution, in the case of malpractice, under Section 397/398 of the Companies Act.

“There’s no time for damage control. It’s time to make a new beginning at the DDCA. The sports committee has exceeded its brief. It is handling much more than it was formed for. I’d like to see appointment of coaches and selectors being made by the executive committee, and I’d like to ensure that the sports committee doesn’t come into the picture,” Shastri told The Indian Express.

“The DDCA has world-class infrastructure but what’s the point of that when icon players such as Sehwag, Gambhir, Ishant and Nehra are contemplating leaving the state. If these players are standing together, there must be something wrong. I’ve had a long chat with DDCA president Arun Jaitley and I’m hoping to resolve the issue,” he added.

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