"It is my dream to see a live selection meeting" - Ravi Shastri on the possibility of BCCI broadcasting the meetings in the future
Former Team India head coach and player Ravi Shastri does not dismiss the idea of selection meetings being broadcasted in the future, which will lead to potential revenue as well as accountability and clarity in terms of decision-making.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently in the hunt for a new chairman of selectors after Chetan Sharma handed in his resignation following a sting operation scandal.
The former Indian player was reappointed as chairman after being sacked not so long ago along with the selectors in the aftermatch of Team India's exit from the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final.
Shiv Sunder Das is the current interim chairman of the selection committee and the board will seek a replacement after the conclusion of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Having recently revealed that he was never invited to a selection meeting during his tenure as India's head coach, Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo's RunOrder:
"It is my dream to see a live selection meeting. Can you imagine the box office when a selection meeting is happening, where a selector is accountable. It is not that far, it will happen if you want transparency. They can even sell the broadcast rights for the selection meetings as well, why not? The selectors will also then get paid five times more, because of the revenue that comes in."
The recent selections made by the committee have not been well received by fans and former players alike.
"I would also like to see left-hand-right-hand combinations" -Ravi Shastri
There is an interesting mix of right-handed as well as left-handed batters among the upcoming crop of players. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Rahul Tewatia are solid left-handed options for different roles in the batting order.
Stating that left-hand-right hand combinations are employed by successful teams across the globe, Ravi Shastri said:
"I would also like to see left-hand-right-hand combinations, just like you look for a left-arm with the ball, I would like to see some left-handed batters in there as well. Even in this IPL, the teams that have done well, look at the mix they have. CSK have Conway, Dube, Moeen and Jadeja, GT have Sudharshan, Miller, and Tewatia."
India have adopted the left-hand-right-hand combination to an extent, but they have lacked options in the middle order. Ravindra Jadeja was often promoted at times to No. 5 to avoid having two right-handed batters against leg spinners or left-arm spinners.