NAGPUR, Sept 26: The ongoing wrangling in the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) claimed its first victim yesterday. Peeved at the bizarre selection of Anil Deshpande on the national cricket selection committee, the chairman of VCA selection committee, Group captain D D Deshpande tendered his resignation last night.He accused the VCA of failing to recognise the efforts put in by him to improve regional cricket. He had been in charge of the selection committee for more than two seasons.In his hard-hitting resignation letter addressed to VCA secretary, the ex-IAF officer said that either his or VCA vice-president Ashok Bhagwat's name should have been suggested by VCA president Shashank Manohar at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) annual general meeting held at Calcutta.``I feel sad that Bhagwat's and my efforts bear no value and an outsider, who has never been a selector of any state and not associated with the VCA for many years, has been given the BCCI post, ignoring the deservingcandidates,'' he said.Deshpande further added that the VCA would not only set a bad example, but those who are keen to improve Vidarbha cricket will never get a chance to be on any of the BCCI committees.He also objected strongly to the statement made by VCA vice-president PT Luley that the VCA president had suggested Anil Deshpande's name in the interests of the association.``It means suggesting names such as ours, who have been associated with VCA for a long time, was not in the interests of the association and we are not capable of holding any post in BCCI,'' Deshpande charged.Saying that he would not like to continue in such circumstances, Deshpande has requested the VCA secretary to accept his resignation with immediate effect.Some of the top VCA officials have also alleged that VCA president Shashank Manohar proposed Anil Deshpande's name at the BCCI's AGM in Calcutta, without the association's ratification.When contacted, the VCA secretary was not available for his comments.
