"There are too many theories on selection" - Ian Chappell not convinced by Australia's logic behind squad for India tour
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has expressed his concern over the national team's selection for the upcoming Test series in India. Chappell stated that Australia must pick their best bowlers instead of vying for a left-right arm bowling combination.
While selecting the squad, chief selector George Bailey revealed that Ashton Agar's left-arm spin will be effective in Indian conditions. Bailey reasoned that Agar's ability to spin the ball away from the right-handers offers a point of difference.
Speaking to Wide World of Sports, Chappell reckoned Australia must pick wicket-taking bowlers instead of those who can bat. He opined that there are plenty of theories around selection.
"This bullshit about, 'Oh, we've got to pick a right-arm and a left-arm spin bowler' — it's crap. You pick your best bowlers. This business of picking Agar because he can bat a bit — you don't pick bowlers because they can bat a bit; you pick bowlers because they can take wickets. You don't want to get too carried away with selections. I think there are too many theories on selection."
While Australia have chosen four spinners, only Nathan Lyon remains the most experienced bowler in the squad. Lyon has taken 460 wickets from 115 Tests, but the other three (Agar, Todd Murphy, Swepson) have only nine Tests and 19 scalps between them.
"You've also got to have one eye on the conditions" - Ian Chappell
The 79-year-old underlines that simply picking players according to the conditions should work things out for them. Ian Chappell added:
"In my opinion, if you pick the best players — one of the reasons why they're your best players are because they're your smartest players. They work things out. So, if I'm Pat Cummins, I'm saying to the selectors, 'Let's pick our best team, and let me work out how we're going to use that best team. You've got to pick the best of what's left, but you've also got to have one eye on the conditions."
The first Test between India and Australia starts on February 9th in Nagpur.