Sandeep Patil: It is sad that you end up losing friends as a selector

The selection committee headed by Sandeep Patil picked their last Indian squad

The head of the selection panel of the BCCI, Sandeep Patil, said that the only sad part being a selector is that you end up losing some of your good friends. The selection panel picked the last Indian squad of its tenure – that  for the New Zealand series.

The former all-rounder, who was appointed the chairman of selectors following the sacking of Mohinder Amarnath in September 2012, said he was a happy man after the completion of his tenure.

“We have taken some bold and tough decisions looking at the future of Indian cricket. We are very happy at the end of our term that the team is doing well in all three formats and I wish the next committee all the best.

“Also, a big thank you to the BCCI for providing the opportunity. The Board has taken some great decisions during my time. We are happy with the roadmap the BCCI has drawn with Rahul Dravid taking over as coach of the juniors and Anil Kumble the seniors,” said Patil at a press conference after picking India's 15 member squad for the upcoming 3 match Test series against New Zealand.

Patil also stated that he was very happy that no outside intervention was there during his tenure as a selector.

There is a big pool of players to choose from: Patil

“In our four-year term, not a single BCCI official of any zone approached the selection committee for any recommendation. We also leave at a time when there is a big pool of players to choose from, in all formats,” he said.

Patil evaded the question on whether Sachin Tendulkar was told in advance to call it a day before hurriedly arranging a short Test series against West Indies in 2013. “There are some matters between the selectors and BCCI which should remain confidential and cannot be revealed,” said Patil.

BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke who was present at the press conference said the next selection panel will be chosen only after a thorough research.

“We want to give everyone a chance to apply for selector’s post rather than choose someone on our own and that’s why we have called for applications (for interview),” Shirke said.

Shirke said an age cap of 60 has been kept to fortify that the candidates who apply have the experience of playing in all three formats of the game.

“The 70 years cap is for administrators (recommended by Lodha panel and upheld by Supreme Court). The 60 years cap we have kept is for selectors keeping in mind that those in 60 to 65 year bracket as an example would not have played all three formats of the game. They might have played limited ODIs but no T20s,” he explained.