Game Plan

There is still no trace of transparency in the functioning of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). Selection of three teams for the forthcoming Australia tour is now on the verge of becoming a major controversy. Many former cricketers have already expressed their dissatisfaction over the selections. Going a step further, Dilip Vengsarkar, former captain of Indian cricket team and former chairman of the selection committee has urged BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to inquire into the matter.

Exclusion of Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma from all the three teams has angered the cricketing fraternity. On behalf of BCCI, it has been stated that the star batsman was ignored due to injury. But within hours of the said statement issued by BCCI, a photograph surfaced in which Rohit was seen practicing on the pitch, giving a clear indication that the Mumbai batsman was unhappy after being dropped. So the question arises who declared Rohit unfit for the tour down under? Was it a medical board appointed by BCCI or did the selection committee take the decision because they found that Rohit was not playing for Mumbai Indians due to an injury? It may be mentioned here that the selection committee usually talks to concerned senior cricketers before dropping him from the team. In Rohit’s case, did the selection committee follow the same practice? In the wake of the controversy, BCCI has decided to conduct a medical test to assess Rohit’s fitness. Even then, the question remains as to why it was not done before picking up the team?

Apart from Rohit, mystery shrouds the dropping of a number of talented cricketers, Surya Kuma Yadav, Rahul Teotia Assam’s Riyan Parag, etc. have missed the bus despite their eye catching performances in the ongoing IPL. These cricketers have played match winning innings for their respective teams. Also, to add to the debacle, a couple of upcoming cricketers have been ignored in favour of senior cricketers, who have so far failed to cement their places in the national team. Remember, this time India is not going to Australia with a 15/16 man squad. This time the Indian contingent is huge due to the prevailing pandemic situation. As all the players will be in a bio bubble even practice bowlers are accompanying the team.

Clearly, the forthcoming Australian trip provided BCCI the chance to plan for the future. It was an opportunity to watch all the budding talents performing at the international level. So, it was expected that by keeping the core team intact, the selection committee would accommodate as many upcoming cricketers possible in the team. But the selection committee has failed to show requisite courage. There are virtually no new names in the teams. Then, what is the future of promising players in Indian cricket? One can only hope that after the recent controversy, the present BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, a vastly experienced cricketer himself, will develop a concrete plan at the earliest to nurture the new talents properly. It is crucial that they can become assets to Indian cricket sooner than later.