Unconventional players hold edge in selection: More

New Delhi:

Players who have a slightly different character or an attitude tend to have an edge in selection, said former chief selector Kiran More.

"Players who have a slightly different character or an attitude tend to have an edge in selection. It is useful to have some one like Sreesanth, Harbhajan or Yuvraj in the team because of the kind of aggression that they have," More said in an interview to Forbes India.

Being nice is not always an asset. But this certainly cannot be the major reason that a player is chosen," he added.

More also revealed how regional pressure tests a selector's loyalty towards the Indian cricket team.

"People from various associations call up and ask why their players have not been chosen; there is emotional pressure as you are the representative of a particular Zone. But your loyalty has to be for the Indian cricket team," he said.

More also opined that selection should be as paid job as it's taxing profession.

"The job is demanding, takes a physical toll, with travel throughout the year. And the person has to have a strong character and a lot of people skills. I would say that Rs 40 lakh a year is a fair amount," he said.

He emphasised the role of the captain during the selection and said selectors do consider his views.

"The captain plays an extremely vital role; it is he who has to be out in the field with the team. We make sure that we accommodate his views. But the selectors are the ones who spot the talent and have seen most of the players play, and therefore have a perspective that the captain cannot. We are responsible for making sure that there is a strong bench. So sometimes we have to put our foot down," he said.

Once criticised for favouring Greg Chappell and dropping Sourav Ganguly, More said his decision to drop the former captain was not influenced by the Australian coach.

"There was no question of backing Greg Chappell. He had made some suggestions as he thought fit, but the selectors independently thought that it was time to drop Sourav for a number of reasons. Chappell had no right to decide who should or should not be selected," he clarified.

When asked if he ever considered dropping Sachin, More said: "No. We, especially in 2004-05, considered resting him to protect him from injury. He was at that time, passing through a bad health patch. But never for any other reason".