Indian opener Virender Sehwag has threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team, alleging interference in selection matters by the DDCA Sports Committee members.

Sehwag was unhappy with the rampant corruption in the DDCA and in the selection process of the Delhi team.

“I am trying to leave Delhi and play for Haryana. I spoke to the Delhi District and Cricket Association (DDCA) president, Mr. Arun Jaitley, and he has asked me to discuss the issue with him and then take a decision. If I am not satisfied with the outcome of our meeting, I will surely leave Delhi,” Sehwag was quoted in a private news channel.

“There is too much interference and manipulation from the sports committee in selection committees. The sports committee has got too much power. There is more interference at the under-16 and under-19 levels than the Ranji Trophy. In a squad of 15, for instance, the sports committee tries to influence the selectors and slip in one or two of ‘their own’ boys,” added the hard-hitting batsman.

Sehwag has already applied for a No-Objection Certificate to move to another state team and will meet with DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) president Arun Jaitely soon.

“So, if I am not satisfied with the result of the meeting with Mr Jaitley, I will leave whether or not DDCA gives me the no objection certificate (NOC). There is a rule that if a player’s parent association harasses a player and doesn’t give him the NOC, the Board of Control for Cricket in India can do so,” Sehwag told the news channel.

The DDCA’s Sports Secretary Sunil Dev said he has not received any communication from Sehwag nor has he approached him for a No Objection Certificate to play for some other state.

But a top DDCA source said Sehwag’s threat to quit was just a “pressure tactic” to bring in a couple of his players in the Ranji squad.

“He wants to bring Mayank Tehlan and Pradeep Sangwan into the team. But since the Delhi team is well set, it is not possible. That is the reason why he is making such threats,” the source said.

Sehwag has claimed that some selectors group together to force a player of their choice into the side, leaving the captain and selection committee chairman powerless.

He has also alleged manipulation in the selection of Delhi under-16 and under-19 teams.

The Delhi team, which won the 2007-08 Ranji title, failed to even make the knock-out stage last season. Sehwag did not play a single match last season because of his engagements with the national team.

Dev said it was unfair for Sehwag to use words like “corruption” against the DDCA and said the allegations were totally baseless.

“What have we not done for Sehwag ? We have always looked after his needs when he was the Delhi captain. Let him come back, we will know what he has in mind”, Dev said.

Dev was also livid against Sehwag for raising the issue of selection in junior teams.

“Why is he talking about junior cricket ? I will be happy if he comes and helps in the development of junior cricket after his retirement from international cricket”, he said.

However, Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) confirmed that they had offered a place to Sehwag in the last Ranji season.

Now, after Sehwag’s announcement, the HCA has welcomed the right-handed batsman to play for their state.

The presence of just three Indian cricketers in International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame may have generated controversy in the country but the game’s governing body made it clear on Friday that more Indians will be added to the elite list.

The ICC said the list would be updated annually and have adequate Indian representation.

“This is not the final list. I do believe that a number of magnificent Indian cricketers deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. We will soon develop a mechanism and have plans to add more players to the list on an annual basis,” ICC president David Morgan said in a telephonic interview from London.

Former captains Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev are only Indians in the 55-strong list that includes 22 Englishmen, 11 Australians, 13 West Indians, three from Pakistan, two South Africans and a lone New Zealander.

Strangely, not a single Sri Lankan made it to the list.

Morgan said when updated the list will look balanced.

“There would be balance among nations, on merit,” he added.

The list does not contain cricketers who retired post-1995.

Eminent Indians missing from the list include C K Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Polly Umrigar, Subash Gupte, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Gundappa Viswanath.

Among Englishmen, W G Grace, one of the pioneers of the game, has been included but not Ranjitsinhji, who invented the leg glance and scored close to 1000 runs for England.

Morgan also took the opportunity to rubbish the notion that India has been a bully in the ICC, arm-twisting the governing body because of its financial clout.

“I have never regarded India as a bully at the ICC. I refer to my experience with India at the ICC under the leadership of Mr Dalmiya, Mr Pawar and now Mr Shashank Manohar. I do not accept that India acts in a bullying fashion,” Morgan said.

He also sought to dispel the fear of an Indian takeover of the ICC when Sharad Pawar succeeds him as the ICC president.

“I have another year in office and have every confidence in Sharad Pawar that he would be a good leader when he takes over in a year’s time,” Morgan added.

Gautam Gambhir is country’s highest ranked Test batsman at number three and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, at sixth, is the highest placed Indian bowler in the latest ICC rankings issued on Thursday.

Gambhir, the Delhi left-hander with 847 rating points, is the only Indian to figure in the top 10 batsmen’s chart, followed by Sachin Tendulkar (13th), VVS Laxman (15th) and Virender Sehwag (20th).

In the bowlers’ chart, Harbhajan is the lone Indian in top 10, followed by Zaheer Khan (11th) and Ishant Sharma (20th).

In the team ranking, India (117 points) are placed third behind top ranked Australia (128) and South Africa (119).

Meanwhile Pakistan, currently sixth, will go into their three-Test series against Sri Lanka starting at Galle on Saturday targetting the fourth place, replacing the Lankans.

A 1-0 or 2-1 series win for Younus Khan’s side will be enough to put it on 105 ratings points alongside Sri Lanka but ahead of Kumar Sangakkara’s side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

Personally, Younus, currently the number one batsman in this format, will be aiming to become the 25th batsman in history to reach the 900-point mark.

The 31-year-old right-handed batsman is just 20 points short of becoming the second Pakistan batsman after Mohammad Yousuf to achieve the rare distinction.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men can grab the number two spot in the ICC ODI Championship table provided they complete a 5-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka and Australia’s misery continues against New Zealand.

Having already pocketed the series by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, India is already within two ratings points of Australia and four behind leaders South Africa (125).

A 5-0 whitewash of Mahela Jayawardene’s team may help the Indians topple Australia from the number two spot, provided Ricky Ponting’s men, who lost their firsrt ODI against New Zealand, continue their poor shows.

With Dhoni’s men touring New Zealand in March where they will play five One-dayers, a lot can change before the April 1 cut off date.

The top side in the ODI Championship will be richer by $175,000 with the runners-up getting $75,000, the ICC said in a press release.

Current rankings: 1. South Africa (125 points); 2. Australia (123); 3. India (121); 4. New Zealand (115); 5. Pakistan (111); 6. England (108); 7. Sri Lanka (104); 8 West Indies (91); 9. Bangladesh (46); 10. Zimbabwe (23); 11. Ireland (19); 12. Kenya (0).