ICC World Cup 2019 | Media boycotts interaction after management sends net bowlers for press session

Two days before India’s encounter against South Africa, it was expected that coach Ravi Shastri or a senior player or support staff would address the media as it has been the norm in any bilateral series with skipper Virat Kohli coming on the pre-match day, but India adopted an entirely different formula as they send net bowlers Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed. 

Indian team’s media manager informed the waiting journalists at the Ageas Bowl that since Chahar and Avesh are going back on Tuesday, it was felt that they should get an opportunity to interact with the media and share their experiences, but the media was not ready for the same.

As a sign of protest, senior members of the fraternity told the media manager that they can cancel the session if they want but it is unfair for both media as well as the two youngsters who don’t have any authority to answer team related queries.

When the journalists queried why no player or support staff was made available, the media manager said that it was done since India haven’t started its World Cup campaign yet, which seemed baffling for many, given it was the norm for every cricket country.