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'Very few people appreciate our contribution' Wisden CricInfo staff - September 4, 2002
Did you take the chance to ask Chandu Borde, the chairman of India's selectors, a question about the team or his own career? Here's the final batch. How much input do the selectors have when India are on tour? You are back in India, I believe, so how exactly is the team chosen? asks Niraj Patel When the team is on tour, the tour committee of manager, coach, captain and vice-captain select the team, perhaps after consultation with some senior members of the party. The selectors do not play a part in team selection as it is impossible to gauge the conditions in the middle when we are sitting here in India. I think it is only fair that the tour management makes the decision, and not us.
After the amazing win at Headingley I didn't see anybody saying what a good job the selectors had done. Does it annoy you that you get all sorts of insults when the team does badly, but nobody says a word when they do well? asks Raqib Hassan We are pretty used to taking brickbats from everyone. Very few people appreciate our contribution, but it feels nice when we are commended for our good work. One of the important attributes for a selector is the ability to shrug off criticism and not take it too seriously. But yes, many, including some of the board members, had a word of praise for the selectors after the Headingley win. These days are there any cases of players being selected because of where they come from? In the past there were often instances of odd players getting in because they happened to come from the same state as the captain, or one of the selectors ... says Jiwa Nand Upadhyay We always select the team on merit and performance. Though the selectors come from five different zones, the objective is always to select the best team for the country. The present selection committee has never veered from this policy, and where a player hails from is of no concern to us. I can't recall a single instance of pressure being mounted on us from any quarters to include a specific player, and that's the way it should be. In football the national sides basically have one man who selects the team, and he stands or falls by what happens. This doesn't often happen in cricket - why not? asks Chris Parker from London The national cricket team in India is selected by the selectors appointed by the board, and they all have first-class experience. That's the policy adopted by all Test nations. It's an honorary job, unlike in football where the manager is a paid professional. Also, in a country as large as India, it 's impossible for one person to travel all over the country to watch the first-class players in action.
How worried are you that you will have to send a second-string side to Sri Lanka for the Champions Trophy if this contracts dispute isn't settled? asks Gurcharan Singh We are obviously worried about the non-availability of the best players, but there's nothing we can do. Our job is to select the best available team, and fortunately, there are plenty of players who are knocking on the doors of international cricket. Of course, we hope the contract controversy is amicably settled before the Champions Trophy, so that the best players can represent the country. What has happened to Reetinder Singh Sodhi? He wasn't in the one-day side in England, says Jindi Reetinder was kept out from the NatWest Series due to a back injury. He has recovered now and attended the National Cricket Academy camp in Bangalore recently. He has also been named in the second list of 25 probables for the Champions Trophy.
How about having SS Das and Virender Sehwag as India's opening pair? Sehwag would give the innings a kick-start, while Das is more solid, says Arun Advani from London Your suggestion has merit and is worth considering, but it's the prerogative of the tour management to decide the best combination for the series. In the current tour, Sanjay Bangar's inclusion lends balance to the team and gives them an extra seam-bowling option.
Did you see Tiger Pataudi play before he lost his eye in a car accident? Judging from his performances after it happened, which were pretty good, we must have been deprived of a really great batsman. Did you ever speak to him about how much his eyesight was affected? asks Nikil I didn't see Tiger play before he lost an eye, but during my stint at league cricket in Lancashire, I heard from my colleagues there that he was an excellent batsman and fielder before the accident. I never spoke to him about the accident, or how much it affected his cricket, as he continued to perform capably even with the handicap. Do you think Parthiv Patel is the answer to India's wicketkeeping problem? And do you think he will keep in one-dayers as well, or will you keep on saddling Rahul Dravid with the gloves? asks Anil M Parthiv is an excellent prospect as a wicketkeeper-batsman, and could well serve India for a long time to come. However, Dravid kept wicket adequately in the one-dayers, and his inclusion as a wicketkeeper allowed India to play an extra batsman, which was ultimately vital in their NatWest Trophy triumph. The decision regarding Parthiv's inclusion in the one-dayers will have to be taken keeping the composition of the team in mind, and after consulting with the captain and the coach.
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