An Indian journalist who allegedly threatened and intimidated Test cricketer Wriddhiman Saha after his interview request was rebuffed has been banned from covering the sport, authorities said Wednesday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India barred Boria Majumdar from attending matches and interviewing players for two years after finding him guilty of sending menacing messages to the wicketkeeper.
Saha had tweeted screenshots of social media messages from Majumdar in February, prompting India's cricket regulator to launch an investigation.
"You did not call. Never again will I interview you. I don't take insults kindly. And I will remember this," read one of the screenshots shared by Saha, who did not disclose the journalist's name at the time.
Majumdar had denied the allegations and claimed the screenshots were doctored.
But the BCCI said in a statement it had concluded the messages were real and intended as "threat and intimidation".
Majumdar is one of India's top sports journalists and is known for co-authoring a biography of Sachin Tendulkar, the country's most esteemed cricketer.