All-rounder Hardik Pandya and opener Lokesh Rahul were on Friday asked to go home from the three-ODI series against Australia starting in Sydney after being suspended for their controversial comments during television talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’. The duo will now return to India and an inquiry and proceedings will be made against them for misconduct and indiscipline that have been initiated under Rule 41 of the BCCI Constitution. This however, not the first time that an Indian player has been sent off from a mid-tour due to disciplinary reason.
Lala Amarnath (1936)
Back in 1936, veteran cricketer Lala Amarnath was sent back from England tour due to his misbehaviour. Some articles tells about an incident, when Lala Amarnath was sent back to India from ongoing England tour. Lala was sent back home due to alleged tiff with then skipper Maharaja of Vijianagaram (Vizzy) during first class game.
Lala was not allowed to rest even after having back injury. At Lord’s, he was asked to pad up by skipper Vizzy but made to wait as other batsmen were sent to play ahead of him. Lala eventually got 10 minutes of play at the ground and when he returned he was angry. He threw his kitbag and muttered something in Punjabi which did not go well with the teammates. He was sent back after teammates handed over a signed letter demanding action. Lala, however, was a victim of team politics unlike Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, who are suffering because of their own indecent talks over national television.
Navjot Singh Sidhu (1996)
In 1996, Navjot Singh Sidhu came back from mid-tour, however, he was not sent by team management and came back on his own. During the England tour in 1996, Sidhu had some heated arguement with skipper Mohammed Afzaruddin. He left for India without informing anyone and then his roommate Sourav Ganguly was given chance to make debut, who smashed a century on Lord’s.