WOAH! Was BCCI initially clueless about Kanpur Test being India's 500th?

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) marked India's 500th Test with several unique initiatives.

All former India captains were present at the Kanpur Test, in which the hosts beat New Zealand by 197 runs.

As with most BCCI events, this occasion too triggered a controversy after the board didn't extend an invitation to the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi.

The former left-arm spinner has been a vocal and consistent critic of the BCCI and its functioning, which perhaps coerced the board into not involving him in the 500th Test celebrations.

Bedi launched a fresh attack on BCCI after the match, claiming that the board was not even aware that the 1st India-New Zealand Test was India's 500th.

"They (BCCI) didn’t even know it was the 500th Test. If they did, the Test would not have been played in Kanpur. They would have chosen Mumbai or Bangalore or Kolkata," he told Cricktracker.

Some may argue that Bedi is bitter, but one cannot rule out the possibility of this being true. Kanpur as venue for India's 500th Test did come as a surprise to many fans.

The 70-year-old also disagreed with the BCCI's Dream Test XI, which featured players based on votes sent in by fans.

"I don’t agree with it at all. I wouldn’t have (Virender) Sehwag open with Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Kirmani in place of (MS) Dhoni. Tiger Pataudi in place of (VVS) Laxman, and as captain. No doubt about it," he further added.

Bedi also stated that BCCI's snub didn't really bother him and nobody could deny him of his presence in Indian cricket history.

"It was very strange alright. Could be anything – oversight, maybe? Or deliberate – I don’t know. Oh, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. It’s part of the game. No one can deny my involvement with Indian cricket, can they?," Bedi said.