CAC questions candidates on MS Dhoni's future

MS Dhoni. Pic/ AFP

The five candidates interviewed by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the BCCI to fill the two vacant spots in the national selection committee were asked some straightforward questions and a few tactful ones pertaining to Indian cricket.

Sunil Joshi, Venkatesh Prasad and L Sivaramakrishnan were shortlisted from South Zone, while Rajesh Chauhan and Harvinder Singh were the contenders from Central Zone.

Joshi replaced MSK Prasad as chairman of selectors and Harvinder took the spot vacated by Gagan Khoda after their four-year terms ended.

One question that all candidates were asked by the CAC was: "How would you convince the captain and coach about a particular player, which differs from their choice or preference?"

MSK Prasad was often criticised for giving into the demands of captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri. "The main point was to understand how the new selectors will communicate with the team management. It has to be cordial all the time and it is important to be on the same page as well," a source told mid-day.

The CAC also asked the candidates about the contentious selection issues for the T20 World Cup later this year. The candidates were asked about their wicketkeeper preference for the T20 World Cup if MS Dhoni does not announce his retirement post the Indian Premier League.

"The CAC members tried to get a viewpoint on how the new selector will deal with the contentious selection of Dhoni. They wanted to know how the communication will be handled," a source said.

The CAC also asked the candidates about the weak spots in the Indian T20 team and their role in grooming young talent.

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