Selectors can not challenge Kohli or Shastri, believes Syed Kirmani
These days, the Indian selection panel led by MSK Prasad is facing lot of criticism due to their surprising decisions. Many former and current players including Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar etc. have raised questions regarding selection measures.
The latest name on this list is India's former chief selector and ex-wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani, who believes that India's head coach Ravi Shastri is performing the selector role, as the MSK Prasad-led selection panel is not experienced enough to challenge the decisions of Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli.
The comments came in the wake of the controversy over the exclusion of Karun Nair and Murali Vijay from the Test squad.
After the announcement of the Indian team for the ongoing Windies Tests, Indian batsmen Nair and Vijay claimed that they were not spoken to by the selectors before or after being dropped, a claim that chief selector Prasad has dismissed, by stating that both the batsmen were duly informed.
During an interview given to PTI, Kirmani was asked for his opinion regarding current selections. He said, "If you ask me Ravi Shastri is the main selector, being the coach. He along with captain and senior members will discuss and put it across to the selection committee. The current selection committee, with due respect, is inexperienced compared to these guys, and they better listen to what the team management wants because they cannot debate with Shastri and Kohli, who have much more experience."
Citing his own example, he further said, "Luck also plays a role in selection. Take my example. I was sidelined at the peak of my career,"
The current selection panel comprises of five members, who are low on international playing experience including the chief selector Prasad, who represented national team in just six Tests and 17 ODIs, while the other four members have played even less with Sarandeep Singh (2 Tests, 5 ODIs), Devang Gandhi (4 Tests, 3 ODIs), Jatin Paranjpe (4 ODIs) and Gagan Khoda (2 ODIs).
These numbers strongly support his words.
Kirmani, who is considered among India's finest ever wicket-keepers, when asked about Rishabh Pant, who has broken into the Test mainly on the basis of his batting and not his glove work, said, "Pant has a long way to go as he is yet to learn the basics of wicket-keeping."