Acche Din? For a Change, BCCI Lets Chief Selector Speak on Selection Matters
In an era when the BCCI has had the notorious reputation of keeping the media at an arm's length, the new management allowed some interaction between chief of the selection committee Sandeep Patil and journalists.
Newly-appointed India cricket Board secretary Anurag Thakur wants the Board to turn a new leaf. He is certainly showing some positive signs. For several years now, the BCCI gagged its selectors and captains from speaking on contentious issues. Not on Wednesday.(Harbhajan Singh Back in Test Squad)
In recent times, skipper MS Dhoni was prevented from speaking on itchy issues like the 2013 IPL betting and fixing scandal and his conflict of interest in Indian cricket. Secretary Sanjay Patel's media briefings after national team selection meetings were nothing short of ridiculous. Especially, when the chief selector is available.('Kohli is Not Above the Law')
"You all have seen a definite change in the last two months in the BCCI?" a smiling Thakur told the waiting media in Mumbai on Wednesday. This was the first time in a long long time that Patil would be taking questions on team selection. The media was more than happy.(BCCI Mum Over Next Team India Coach)
After announcing the squads for the Bangladesh series, Thakur wisely left the stage to Patil. It's a standard protocol all over the world - the selector speaks on selection matters, not the secretary or president. Rod Marsh does it in Australia. Andrew Strauss recently did it at Lord's. India never had a proper media policy.
In an international career that included 29 Tests and 45 ODIs in the early 1980s, Patil answered questions the same way he batted - with punch and clarity. He fielded questions and tried his best to answer. Excerpts:
On picking Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh was the focus of the day. Having made an unexpected return to the Indian Test side after a gap of two years, the Indian off-spinner was the peg of every question. Was this an emotional move? Were other younger and upcoming options considered? What was the thinking behind this pick?(A New Beginning for Harbhajan Singh)
"The selection committee doesn't work on emotions. We always pick squads based on form and performance. We discussed several spin options but both captain (Virat Kohli) and the selectors felt Harbhajan Singh was the right choice," said Patil without sidestepping a single concern that was raised.
Patil delved further into the selection, saying: "We picked Harbhajan after taking into consideration the number of left-handers there are in the current Bangladesh side," he said, putting forward a strong cricketing logic that Bangladesh's preliminary squad for India series has as many as eight left-handed batsmen.(Harbhajan's Return Means Ashwin Can't Relax: Gavaskar)
On Yuvraj Singh
When talking of comebacks, Yuvraj is another prominent name that always creates a buzz. When the same set of selectors were to name the World Cup 2015 squad, wild speculations about the prospect of Yuvraj's return to the side was all over the media. His eventual non-selection was not out of the ordinary but Yuvraj remains a name that will always do the rounds ahead of a series selection. Was it time to perhaps, hand him a farewell series?
Patil countered the Yuvraj question with solid technique, saying there was no discussion on Delhi Daredevils' Rs 16 crore-recruit.(Harbhajan Was Not Picked on Emotions: Patil)
A good start is only half the job done. May be less. Let's see how transparent and pragmatic the new BCCI management will stay. Interesting times ahead.(Harbhajan's Selection Sends Good Message to Sidelined Seniors: Gavaskar)