Wasim Jaffer Resigns As Uttarakhand Cricket Coach, Cites Interference, ‘Used To Call Maulavis to Camp’, Says Report

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has resigned as Uttarakhand's head coach. He has cited “interference in team selection” as the reason. The development happened days before the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It is scheduled to begin on 20 February.

The Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) has accepted his resignation. Jaffer was appointed to the position last year.

A section of the media has claimed that there was a communal angle to Jaffer's work and that he was caught in a communal dispute. The report says that CAU's secretary Mahim Verma has claimed that Jaffer was bent on breaking the team on communal lines.

"पूर्व बीसीसीआइ उपाध्यक्ष महिम ने आरोप लगाया कि जाफर सीएयू के अधिकारियों से लड़ने के अलावा मजहबी गतिविधियों से टीम को तोड़ने का प्रयास कर रहे थे। हमने जाफर का पूरा समर्थन किया था। मैंने खिलाडि़यों के लिए कोई दबाव नहीं डाला। वह गेस्ट प्लेयर के तौर पर इकबाल अब्दुल्ला, समद सल्ला, जय बिस्टा को लेकर आए। उन्होंने कुणाल चंदेला की जगह जबरदस्ती इकबाल को कप्तान बनाया।"

The Amar Ujala report further adds that former team manager Navneet Mishra said that Jaffer would call maulavis to the camp during the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The slogan of “Ram bhakt Hanuman ki jai”, was dropped, Mishra told Amar Ujala.

"मुश्ताक अली ट्रॉफी के दौरान टीम के मैनेजर रहे नवनीत मिश्रा ने दैनिक जागरण से कहा कि कैंप के दौरान आयोजन स्थल पर तीन मौलवी आए थे। जाफर ने मुझसे कहा था कि वे तीनों उन्हें जुम्मे की नमाज अदा कराने आए हैं। कैंप के दौरान दो बार ऐसा हुआ। यही नहीं उत्तराखंड टीम पिछले साल से ही 'राम भक्त हनुमान की जय' स्लोगन का इस्तेमाल कर रही थी। मैदान पर मौलवी बुलाने वाले जाफर ने इसे बदलवा दिया।"

Jaffer reportedly wrote in an email: “I feel really sad for the players as I genuinely think that they have lots of potential and can learn so much from me but are denied this opportunity because of so much interference and bias of selectors and secretary in the selection matters for non-deserving players."

Verma has rejected the former cricketer's claims. He is reported to have said that Jaffer "was given everything he had asked for since being appointed as the state team's coach."

It has been reported that the state cricket board was not happy with the state team's performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – for the national T20 gig.

Verma is quoted as saying: “After the result in Mushtaq Ali Trophy did not meet our expectations, the selectors wanted to try out a few other players but he kept insisting on picking his own team which is not right as selectors are there, too, to do their job.”