Calcutta: Former India batsman, one-time stand-in India coach and former national selector Ashok Malhotra has joined the rebel India Cricket League (ICL). Malhotra joined ICL a couple of days back, but it became public on Monday.

“I was left with no choice as it seemed I had to pay the price for calling a spade a spade…You could say I got hounded out (by the Establishment)…Today as I see it, I have much more respect in ICL,” Malhotra told The Telegraph.

At the moment, he is not sure of his designation as it has not been finalised yet. Malhotra was in the city for his wife’s operation.

The former middle-order batsman, who played seven Tests for India in the 1980s, scored 226 runs averaging 25.11 and 20 ODIs, scoring 457 runs at an average of 30.46.

Besides seven frontline Bengal players, one-time national selector Pranab Roy also took the ICL plunge a few months back.