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This is an archive article published on July 23, 2009

U-19 team leave for UK tour without captain,keeper

Vivek Mishra,Rahul Bhardwaj and Arjun Gupta were picked for the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association’s (DDCA) under-19 team’s 17-day long exposure trip to UK.

Vivek Mishra,Rahul Bhardwaj and Arjun Gupta were picked for the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association’s (DDCA) under-19 team’s 17-day long exposure trip to UK. The selection must have had the youngsters on their toes,but unfortunately,all three missed the flight on July 21. The reason:Visa problems.

With the DDCA still struggling to arrange visa for the trio,the current team have been left without two of their most important men on the field — the captain (Rahul) and the regular wicketkeeper (Arjun).

Rahul and Arjun were at the NCA,playing for the North Zone when their team mates were completing the travel formalities and by the time they returned,the DDCA says,it was too late to furnish them.

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DDCA under-19 selector Pawan Sharma says they had also made arrangements to get the boys to Delhi for a couple of days to get the formalities done,but North Zone coach Hari Singh declined them a permission to leave halfway through the camp.

“Rahul Bhardwaj and Arjun Gupta were in the NCA camp playing for North Zone in Bangalore. The tournament got over on 13th July and the boys took a flight back and made it to Delhi on 14th July. They applied for the visas on 14th while the rest of team had applied for the same on 25th June,” Sharma says,adding,“The DDCA requested Hari Singh (head coach,north zone) to send the players to Delhi on our expenses for furnishing the formalities for the visas but he refused to let them come.”

But not all hope is lost for the boys as DDCA is trying their best to get the travel formalities completed as soon as possible so that they join their team mates in England.

“We are trying to send them as soon as we can,depending on how soon we get the formalities done,” sports committee member P S Chauhan told the Sportline.

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In their absence,the skippering duties will be taken care by vice-captain Milind Kumar and Unmukt Chand will keep.

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