Ganguly making sure that experienced players are treated fairly
Is Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly taking part in national team selection meetings because he doesn’t want any of the players to get a raw deal?
Former BCCI chief N Srinivasan had famously used his veto power to stop the removal of MS Dhoni as the captain, after a spat with the then selector Mohinder Amarnath. Because of this infamous incident, it was decided to do away with approval from the Board President about the teams selected.
However, Ganguly, it is learnt, has been attending these meetings to ensure that the contracted and proven players aren’t made to feel unsettled. Sources suggested that the BCCI Apex Council had given powers to Ganguly to attend selection meetings and no one can challenge that legally.
“There has been too much of chopping and changes in the team and it was important for Ganguly to attend the team selection meetings to ensure that the talented players and those who have proved themselves are given due diligence,” a top BCCI official told Sportskeeda on Wednesday.
When the new opening pair of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul started doing well, the selectors were in two minds on where to accommodate the fit-again Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI team. It was Ganguly who backed the southpaw’s candidature.
“Someone with 17 centuries can’t be left out because of injury and bad form. If a proven player is fit and raring to go, he should be given a chance to play for the team,” our source added.
Ganguly backed Rishabh Pant inclusion
The Prince of Kolkata has also backed Rishabh Pant and it is another example of how the former Indian captain is ready to fight for a player with talent. Sources said that Ganguly has even told his close associates that he won’t allow cricket to suffer because of indecision of the Indian team management.
Perhaps that is the reason why Punjab southpaw Yuvraj Singh, who had problem with the way he was handled by the Indian team management under MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, still rates Ganguly the best leader.
Apart from Yuvraj, there are other senior cricketers who have similar problems with these two captains. Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag too weren’t happy with the way they were treated by the team management, sources said.
“Some of the present cricketers also share the same kind of sentiments with the former stars. The bane of the current Indian team, under Kohli, is that none of the cricketers barring two to three of them are sure about their places in the team. The constant changes are the main reason behind this lack of job security,” another source confirmed while expressing hope that things are going to change under Ganguly.
Ganguly, who is still the most popular captain, has repeatedly made it clear that none of the current players will be treated unfairly.
Under Ganguly's watchful eyes, the current selection committee won’t pick a number four batsman like Vijay Shankar for the World Cup team on insistence from a powerful member of the coaching staff and that too without a single fifty in international cricket.