 "Gautam Gambhir is being questioned after Shreyas Iyer was not picked in the Test side. Image: AP")
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England. Shreyas Iyer was one of the most surprising omissions as he was expected to make the side with Virat Kohli now retired from the longest format. Iyer was expected to be a part of the middle order.
When asked about Iyer’s exclusion, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir responded by saying, “Main selector nahi hoon” (I am not a selector). But this comment didn’t go well with many, including former India cricketer Atul Wassan. “Gambhir doesn’t select players; he only rejects,” Wassan said on OTT Play while taking a dig at Gambhir’s remark.
Gautam Gambhir criticised
Wassan explained that the coach always has some role in team selection and that selectors usually listen to the coach’s opinion before finalising the squad. “The coach has a role in team selection, and selectors also listen to them before naming the squad,” Wassan said.
Wassan, however, added that Gambhir deserves to select players on gut feeling because he is the coach right now. “If Gambhir has been given this position, then I think he deserves to go with his feeling, whether it’s right or wrong.”
Iyer’s exclusion also became a hot topic on social media. Many fans and experts have criticised the decision and questioned if it was really based on performance or something else. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar recently said that the current leadership group picks players based on their own instincts rather than performance.
“Under Gambhir’s stewardship and with Rohit not there anymore, I see a tendency in this management to pre-empt performances of individuals while making selections. As in, the dominating thought here is to apply their own view of the likely success and failure of players depending on conditions and opposition,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsManjrekar cited the example of Sarfaraz Khan, who was not selected in the playing XI after three-four poor games last year. He was taken to Australia but did not play a match there and now he has b been dropped from the team altogether.
“Take the example of Sarfraz Khan. Three fifties and a 150 at home in four Tests and failures in only four innings after that and Sarfaraz does not get a single game in Australia. For the England tour too, he has been left out despite his performances in recent times outweighing Karun Nair’s completely. So, this non-selection is not about performance, it’s about someone important in the leadership group thinking Sarfaraz will not get runs in England and Australia, and Karun Nair will,” he said.