The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world's richest organisation in the sport, on Wednesday banned senior journalist Boria Majumdar for two years for threatening the national team's wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha, The Indian Express news outlet reported.
Majumdar, a highly popular media personality in the country's sports circles, has written multiple books on cricket, with his most noteworthy contribution being to help legendary Sachin Tendulkar write his autobiography.
In February, Wriddhiman Saha, who last played a Test match in India's whites in December 2021, accused Majumdar of intimidation for not agreeing to give him an interview.
Saha has shared screenshots of WhatsApp chats with the journalist on Twitter and blasted him for remarks that were made after he refused to give him an interview.
The allegation prompted the BCCI to set up a committee, comprising vice president of the cricket board Rajiv Shukla, treasurer Arun Dhumal, and Apex Council member Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, to investigate the allegations.
The committee found Majumdar guilty of "bullying" the veteran Indian cricketer, and subsequently announced the ban.
The BCCI's ban on Majumdar means that he will no longer receive press accreditation for cricket matches in the country. Moreover, he's now barred from approaching centrally contracted players for interviews.
The author of "Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians" will also have no access to BCCI's facilities, including its state units.
To put it simply, cricketers and cricket will now become a "no-fly zone" for him.
The committee found Majumdar guilty of "bullying" the veteran Indian cricketer, and subsequently announced the ban.
The BCCI's ban on Majumdar means that he will no longer receive press accreditation for cricket matches in the country. Moreover, he's now barred from approaching centrally contracted players for interviews.
The author of "Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians" will also have no access to BCCI's facilities, including its state units.
To put it simply, cricketers and cricket will now become a "no-fly zone" for him.