Sunil Subramaniam was told to coordinate with the top officials of Indian High Commissions, but when a senior bureaucrat in Trinidad & Tobago called up seeking co-operation, he told him 'Don't flood me with messages'
The Indian cricket team's administrative manager Sunil Subramaniam, who coached Ravichandran Ashwin during his formative years, is set to be severely reprimanded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for allegedly misbehaving with officials of the country's High Commissions in the West Indies. (Cricket News)
Subramanium, who got a 45-day extension along with Ravi Shastri-led support staff is unlikely to be retained after the Caribbean series once the fresh round of interviews are conducted. India are touring West Indies for a full series, which ends with the Test rubber on September 3.
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"The Indian team was supposed to shoot a small advertisement on 'Water Conservation' as this directive came from the government. It was learnt that the two High Commissions were informed by the BCCI that Subramaniam is their point person as he is the administrative manager," a top BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"When a very senior person from Indian High Commission in Trinidad & Tobago called up Subramaniam 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," the senior BCCI official added.
Subramanium, who is a former left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu, could not be reached for a comment despite repeated attempts by PTI. Subramaniam became team's administrative manager in 2017.
According to a BCCI source, Subramaniam was told to co-ordinate with the top officials of Indian High Commissions in Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago for the Indian team's shoot on 'Water Conservation', a project of the Indian government.
"The bureaucrat certainly wasn't amused and the matter reached government corridors in Delhi and in turn ended up at CoA chief Vinod Rai's doorstep. It is learnt that CEO Rahul Johri and his team needed to step in to ensure that things were back on track. However a severe reprimand is on cards for Subramaniam," an official informed.
The small video on 'water conservation', which will also feature skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma, is expected to be shot in Port of Spain on Tuesday.
"As of now, he is getting a severe reprimand. It is there to be seen if Subramaniam is asked to come back before the Test series and an interim manager is sent. Even if they don't send an interim manager, there is logistics manager Hrishikesh Upadhyay, security officer (Soumyadeep Pyne) plus media manager (Anand Subramaniam) is also present. What's his need," a senior BCCI official questioned.
(With agency inputs)