Diggers protested in Delhi, demanding a clean-up in Hockey India amid internal disputes

The fast bowler of the Indian team, Akash Deep, shared the story of his first day with the national squad when he was among such big players as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He recounted this during the 'Kheloge Kuduge Bangone Navab' session at the Panchayat Aajtak event held in Patna.

Akash Deep narrated that at that moment, he felt such intense fear that he thought he might have a heart attack, because there is a rule requiring a new player to give a speech upon their first inclusion in the team.

He noted that values such as respect for elders, discipline, and touching the feet of seniors were deeply ingrained in his native village. Even when he played for the regional team for the first time, there were former Indian players present, but they had already retired. However, when he was selected for the Indian national team, he found himself facing names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rahul Dravid.

Deep mentioned that due to the completely different atmosphere, he couldn't even touch the feet of these great athletes. According to the rules, a new player must say something about themselves upon joining the squad. At that time, Rahul Dravid asked him only one question: how was his journey up to that point and what did he feel. Akash Deep replied that the feeling was impossible to describe in words because it was a pure emotion.

He also mentioned that he was born in a village where playing cricket was considered almost a crime, and today, thanks to this sport, he receives such respect in his country. Akash Deep added that every time he sees great players and big teams, his confidence does not decrease; on the contrary, it increases. He emphasized that since childhood, he possessed this trait that made him strong in any difficult situation and motivated him to perform his best on big stages.

Significant adjustments have been made to the India-A squad, which will face Australia-A in two four-day matches. The decision was made to exclude fast bowler Vijayakumar Vaishak from the team.

The reason for his exclusion was that 29-year-old Vaishak could not fully recover from a hamstring injury. Initially, he was given a spot in the 15-man squad provided he met the fitness requirements. Since the expected recovery did not materialize, he was dropped from both unofficial test matches against Australia-A.

According to TOI, Vaishak's place was taken by left-arm spinner Tripura Vidhay from Andhra. This 25-year-old left-arm spinner is already under the observation of BCCI's Bode. He was recently invited to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru to participate in a spin bowling camp.

Tripura Vidhay's recent performance in the final of the Duleep Trophy 2026-27 for the South Zone was very successful: he took five wickets. This recent performance helped him secure a spot in the India-A team. His first-class statistics are also impressive: he took 57 wickets in 17 matches, including four instances of five-wicket hauls in a single game and one instance of a ten-wicket haul in a match.

He will now play as part of the India-A spin department in the four-day encounters against Australia-A. The matches between India-A and Australia-A will take place in Puducherry. The first match will be held from September 22 to 25, and the second from September 29 to October 2. Following this, both teams will play three one-day unofficial matches scheduled for October 6, 9, and 11.

In the multi-day format matches, India-A will be led by Devdhadhat Padikkal, with Sai Sudarshan serving as vice-captain. The team will also include wicketkeepers Kumar Kushagar and Narayan Jagdishan. Among the star fast bowlers in the squad are Anshul Kamboj and Tushar Deshpande.

The India-A squad for the multi-day matches includes: Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Devdhadhat Padikkal (captain), Sai Sudarshan (vice-captain), Yash Rathore, Sheikh Rashid, Kumar Kushagar (wicketkeeper), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Prahul Hinge, N. Jagdishan (wicketkeeper), Nachiket Bhute, and Tripura Vidhay.

Hockey India has taken serious measures against its Director General Commander Arka Rake Srivastava, immediately revoking all his powers. The President of Hockey India, Dileep Tirkey, through his lawyer, sent Srivastava a notice presenting eight serious allegations, including a dispute over the Indian team's kit. These actions are being taken to maintain discipline, accountability, and transparency within the organization.

The notice clearly states that all rights of the Director General of Hockey India are terminated with immediate effect. He no longer has the right to act on behalf of Hockey India. These directives are issued to ensure order, responsibility, transparency, and smooth operation. Srivastava is required to hand over all official records, documents, files, access credentials, and unfinished matters to an officer appointed by the presidential office.

The use of any rights related to operational, executive, administrative, financial, supervisory, signing, approval, disciplinary, media, or representative activities has been prohibited. Furthermore, he has been forbidden from altering, deleting, or concealing any physical or electronic records, while being required to preserve them. However, the notice emphasizes that this is not a final decision or penalty, and it will not affect his current contractual salary or benefits.

One of the main charges is the incident regarding the change of the Indian national team's kit. The traditional blue kit was replaced with orange under the pretext of visibility issues. The notice alleges that this change was implemented and publicized without consultation with the president or the executive committee. Despite repeated instructions, no official proposals, approvals, or documentary basis were provided for this decision.

The second major charge concerns the World Cup trip held in the Netherlands and Belgium. Srivastava was strictly instructed to remain in India to focus on the upcoming Hockey India League (HIL), franchise coordination, and planning. He was also advised to stay as per the letter dated July 30. Nevertheless, he traveled, which was deemed direct disobedience and an insult to the presidential office. The notice notes that members of the selection committee Subhadra Pradhan, age group coach Rani, and Sardar Singh were designated to carry out specific institutional tasks but were not sent, while Srivastava himself participated in the World Cup, prioritizing himself. The notice states that these instances raise serious and recurring questions regarding executive accountability.

Other charges include the issue of a media blackout issued by the PR agency on July 31 during the kit dispute, and the subsequent failure to take action against the agency. He is also accused of ignoring instructions in the case of improper treatment of players Manpreet Singh, Dilpreet Singh, and Krishna Patak during the visit to South Africa. Instructions from January 23 had to be repeated multiple times, yet Srivastava continued to claim that measures had been taken.

Additionally, he was required to respond to reports of a protest against the exclusion of Manpreet by head coach Craig Fulton and threats of dismissal. He is accused of failing to provide any clarification, confirmation, denial, or report on actions taken by Fulton, even after repeated requests. Moreover, ICC/POSH records were not provided despite requests made from July 15 regarding the Vikram Pal case. The notice also contains a charge that important correspondence and negotiations with FIH, AHF, and national federations were not fully presented to the president and elected bodies. Srivastava must respond within four weeks of receiving the notice, or further action will be taken based on available records. Despite attempts to contact Srivastava, no success has been achieved. All attention is now focused on the DG's response to the notice and the subsequent steps the federation will take.