Coming from a state which hasn’t produced an international cricketer till date, Kongkham Sushil Singh thought he had broken the barrier, at least in a small way. The 19-year-old is one of the 200-plus sportspersons here who play indoor cricket, a popular variation of the original game. He was also the only one from the state to be selected for the under-19 squad for the upcoming 2007 World Cup in England.But he is now back from the pre-tournament conditioning camp in Haryana, alleging maltreatment and indifferent attitude from officials.With no sponsors or funds coming in from either the state association or the Indian Indoor Cricket Federation, Singh says his parents had spent Rs 40,000 on travel, passport and related expenses ever since his selection.“I reached the camp in Gohana, Haryana, a few days prior to the start as I wanted to be on time and it’s a long journey from Manipur. However, I found IICF general secretary Mohinder Singh Khasa to be very cold and unfriendly. I was travelling with my cousin, and we were asked to stay at a school. I found the situation very distressing and decided to return,” he said.The unfriendly attitude towards him, he says, started from Imphal itself, with state association officials being uninterested in his World Cup selection. “I got no help or guidance from anyone, both at the state and national level. It was almost as if no one wanted me to go to England.”It was a far cry from the fanfare with which the selection trials were conducted in June in Secunderabad, where 28 teams from various states had participated. At that time, the Manipur squad had been accompanied by a manager and coach and the entire trip had been well-organised.However, IICF general secretary Khasa has a different version. Speaking from Gohana, Khasa said Singh had opted out of the camp, scheduled to begin from August 13. “He arrived here and we put him up at the Sainik Resthouse here, where we have put up all the players. However, he said he had received news from home of his grandmother’s death, and wanted to return. I tried to dissuade him, but he insisted. Once he left, we had no choice but to replace him. Indoor cricket doesn’t get much sponsorship, and many players often pay out of their own pockets. If he says he was ill-treated here, it’s a lie.”Indoor cricket is played inside a net-enclosed area and has eight players per side. The rules vary from the outdoor version, and a cricket ball with a soft centre is used.
