Bharti Vij signs off in disgust

CHANDIGARH, June 23: Champions never leave with a bang; they do with a whimper. As if the falling level in performance was not enough, Punja...

CHANDIGARH, June 23: Champions never leave with a bang; they do with a whimper. As if the falling level in performance was not enough, Punjab cricket suffered another rude shock this evening when their enigmatic left arm spinner Bharti Vij decided to quit Punjab Ranji team in disgust. Sadly, his decision went almost unnoticed, with hardly a few Punjab Cricket Association officials around when he handed over his letter to them.

Bharti would have wished an honourable exit from the side which he had been serving so well ever since he made his Ranji debut in 1987 but 8220;circumstances forced him to take this bitter decision8221; though many felt Bharti still had at least two-three years more as a bowler in him. 8220;In this competitive world one plays for honour, future or money. I am afraid, I was getting nothing here. I felt suffocated in this environment where the players were not getting their due. I had a serious thought before taking the decision. Enough was enough,8221; Bharti said with a certain degree of lump in his throat.

Bharti was one of the pillars around whom Punjab cricket thrived but, sadly, he would go down as unsung in cricket annals. He played 60 Ranji matches, took 260 wickets, but never got into the national reckoning though a plethora of left arm spinners lined up to play for the country taking benefit of the lack of quality spinners. He was the chief architect of Punjab8217;s maiden Ranji Trophy title march in 8217;92-93, taking a record 49 wickets in that season. Name a batsman in indigenous cricket and he has bowled to all, with considerable success as well.

He played Duleep Trophy for three seasons and took an aggregate of 52 wickets in 10 matches with 6 for 19 against Central Zone at Bhilwara in 94-95 as his best. He played in the Hyderabad Challengers for India B and took 3 for 30 in ten overs against a full fledged Indian side. His victims were skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, Sanjay Manjrekar and Javagal Srinath but still Bharti was never considered for national team. Maybe the problem was the rebel in him for he wasn8217;t afraid to call a spade a spade.

8220;I always spoke for my co-players. I wanted the team to benefit,8221; he says. Bharti also played against the visiting Sri Lanka team in 8217;93-94 for Punjab and took four wickets.

Playing against the visiting England A side in 8217;94-95 at Mumbai, Bharti took three wickets and also took four wickets in an exhibition match against New Zealand the same season.

Despite being the state8217;s leading flagbearer in bowling over the last few years, Bharti has played only one day Ranji match in the last couple of seasons. 8220;Before that they bowled me during the first fifteen overs, middle overs and even in the slog overs. I got wickets and was fairly economical as well but all of a sudden, they dropped me from the one day squad.8221; One can hide one8217;s disappointment but for Bharti it was difficult to hide his hurt.

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8220;It was frustrating to see players with half my performance getting India caps while I cried for justice. It8217;s just that nobody ever bothered about me. I won matches for state and zone but hardly got attention,8221; Bharti laments. Ironically, Bharti hopes to continue as a professional player for some other state. 8220;I still have a point or two to prove.8221; 8220;Bishan Singh Bedi was the one who instilled a sense of belief in us. For me he was everything. He spent hours and hours with me in nets and my success is attributed to him,8221; Bharti recalled.