Halhadar Das, Orissa's captain and wicketkeeper-batsman, has been dropped for the rest of the season on disciplinary grounds. Das, who was in Mohali for Orissa's Ranji Trophy match against Punjab, was handed the punishment after reportedly skipping the team dinner and going out drinking on the eve of the match.
PTI reported that Das, 24, and two younger team-mates missed the mandatory team dinner on Wednesday, the day before the match began. "We asked the manager to conduct a search of the rooms of the absentees," Orissa Cricket Association secretary Asirbad Behera said, "and it was learnt that Das and two new players had gone out of the hotel in the evening without the permission of the manager and returned around 9.45 pm in an inebriated state." Das' two team-mates were let off with a warning.
OCA president Ranjib Biswal didn't want to elaborate on the incident. "He has been found to have breached the code of conduct," he told ESPNcricinfo. "As punishment he has been dropped for the rest of the season." Das wasn't picked for the Punjab match. Natraj Behera took over as captain and reserve wicketkeeper Subhrajit Sahoo was drafted into the XI.
Das made his debut in 2006 and has been a guaranteed starter for Orissa over much of the past five seasons. In 30 first-class matches, he has scored 1407 runs at 36.07, and taken 90 catches. He has led Orissa in limited-overs matches since early 2010, but last week's match against Saurashtra was his maiden first-class match as captain.