Former chairman of selectors Vengsarkar urges Srikkanth & Co to be more ruthless

Harbhajan should have made way for Powar: Vengsarkar

Former chairman of selectors Vengsarkar urges Srikkanth & Co to be more ruthless

The current Indian selectors may have been rewarded with a pay hike by the Indian cricket board, but the chairman of the previous selection committee, Dilip Vengsarkar, feels the current committee is too conservative. The Mumbai cricket stalwart pointed out that the selectors' job does not end with choosing a team for the next match; they have a responsibility to build a team for the future too.

"The selectors are not experimenting at all; neither are they being adventurous. The same team is playing for the last three years. You need to have vision. What is the point if you don't have options? You need to build options for each spot in the team," Vengsarkar told MiD DAY when asked to comment on the team selected for the Tests against South Africa.

No Raina, Kohli?
S Badrinath (middle-order batsman), Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper) and Abhimanyu Mithun (pacer) were the three new additions to the Test team. The selectors yesterday also picked the Board President's XI team to play against South Africa.

"How will you know whether a player is ready or not unless you give him a chance? I am surprised that Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli have not found a place in the Board President's XI. Raina is doing well and Kohli would be ready in a year or two if groomed properly," said Vengsarkar.

Vengsarkar was the chairman of selectors before current chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth and his committee was credited with some bold decisions including giving Mahendra Singh Dhoni his break as captain, resting an out-of-form Virender Sehwag and then bringing him back at the request of then captain, Anil Kumble.

Srikkanth's team has had its share of inspired selections, as proved by the success of Amit Mishra as Kumble's replacement. S Sreesanth's selection for the last Sri Lankan series and Murali Vijay's deployment as a make-shift opener have paid dividends as well. But Vengsarkar's grouse is that the current committee is shying away from taking tough decisions.

"I believe Ramesh Powar should have got a look in instead of Harbhajan Singh for the Tests against South Africa. I agree, Harbhajan has a fine record and is a champion bowler. But there are two things u2014 one, you are bowling well but have been unlucky in getting wickets. Two, your bowling has been poor, and at such times you need to take a break; go back to the nets and get your rhythm back. Harbhajan is not bowling well at the moment; and it could be a fallout of excessive cricket. He should have been rested.

"Powar has done extremely well this season and played a key role in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy victory. If domestic performances are not going to be rewarded then what is the point in playing domestic cricket?" questioned Vengsarkar.

Ruthless
During Vengsarkar's tenure as chairman, the selection committee was ruthless even when big names were involved. They sent back Irfan Pathan in the middle of the 2006-07 South Africa tour and rested Harbhajan Singh briefly. Vengsarkar's committee dropped Rahul Dravid from the one-day side and brought back Sourav Ganguly into the Test side.

Vengsarkar felt picking a back-up wicketkeeper, Wriddhiman Saha, was a waste.

"Where is the need for a reserve wicketkeeper in a home series? (Wicketkeeper) Dhoni being the captain, is obviously going to play. In case of an injury, you can always fly in a replacement," he said.

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