BHOPAL, 16 November 2005 — International Indian cricketer JP Yadav, who hails from Bhopal, failed to join Team India for the sixth One-Day International at Rajkot which was played between India and Sri Lanka on Wednesday as he failed to get a seat in the Jet Airways’ flight No. 3106 at 8.10 p.m. from Bhopal to Bombay on Tuesday. He had confirmed flight seat at 6 a.m. from Bombay to Rajkot.
JP and Venu Gopal Rao were dropped for remaining two ODIs of the Videocon Cup series. In their place V.R.V. Singh and Mohammad Kaif were selected in the team.
JP, who came back to his hometown Bhopal yesterday, received information from the team management that he has been re-selected in the team because V.R.V. Singh failed to make the team due to injury.
A member of the new generation brigade, JP was enthusiastic to join the team but when he approached the airport for the ticket he was informed that he was on waiting list.
Even after requesting the Jet Airways’ management a number of times that it was quite important for him to join the team, as it was the matter of the country’s pride apart from his career, he could not be accommodated.
JP said that it was unfortunate that an international cricket player who got the opportunity to perform for the country in game that has become a religion has been denied the air ticket. “They were not even ready to listen what the problem was. “It was unfortunate”, lamented JP. He said that even if they had made an announcement at the airport requesting someone to vacate a seat for him, any one would have done it. But they did nothing.
“I have never seen such adamant attitude by any one in my entire life,” said the aggrieved member of Team India.
A player who was called by the Indian cricket team could not join the team for the match because of adamant attitude of the Jet Airways, alleged JP.
