ODI shift angers Jaipur's cricket lovers

Jaipur: Jaipur's loss is Vadodara's gain.

Two days after warring factions in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) put separate locks at the association's office in Jaipur, the opening ODI in the upcoming India-Australia series has been shifted out of the city.

Slated for October 25, the match will now be held in Vadodara, the BCCI announced on Thursday. The shift has cricket buffs in Rajasthan crying foul.

"This is terribly unfair on Jaipur. We have not had a single international match in the past two years," said one fan. "If RCA officials are fighting among themselves, why should we be deprived of the match?" asked another.

The feud started on Sunday, when Subhash Joshi and his supporters ousted RCA President Sanjay Dixit. Ironically, it was Joshi who helped Dixit displace Lalit Modi in the last RCA elections.

Anticipating that the situation may jeopardise the match in Jaipur, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot even called up former BCCI president Sharad Pawar.

"I conveyed the feelings of Rajasthan's cricket lovers to the BCCI. They promised to try their best not to shift the match," Gehlot said earlier. The shift is also a setback for Gehlot, who was widely believed to have supported the anti-Lalit Modi lobby.

Since Modi's removal in March, the RCA has seen more off-field drama than cricket action.