Murali Vijay, Karun Nair in trouble after taking aim at selection committee
Murali Vijay and Karun Nair, both of whom have been ousted from the Indian Test squad, are said to be in trouble due to the comments they made regarding the selection committee. While both are presently out of the Test team, they remain centrally contracted players, and according to the BCCi, have breached the clause by voicing their opinion.
It was Karun who first raised the issue of a lack of communication between the selectors and the players. On the bench for 3 months without getting an opportunity even when a reserve batsman was needed, Nair was unfairly left out of the squad for the Windies Tests. In an interview with Cricbuzz, Nair had stated how there was no communication from the selectors or team management as to why he was left out of the squad.
Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad though, defended himself and the committee saying Nair was spoken to and that the committee maintains an open communication channel with the players.
Murali Vijay too then came up and said he wasn't spoken with after being dropped for the 2nd Test in England. But selectors suggested that the BCCI had arranged for his Essex stint.
Senior players including Harbhajan Singh have stood up in defense of the players, saying the selection committee has different rules for different players. The committee thus is under some pressure now, with some even questioning their credentials as selectors.
BCCI and CoA, however, are firm in their defense of the selection committee.
According to The Indian Express, a senior BCCI official told PTI, “Vijay and Karun didn’t exactly do the right thing by speaking on selection policy. That is a breach of central contract. As per the central contract, no player can speak about a just-concluded tour for 30 days. There is a COA meeting in Hyderabad on October 11 and this issue will be raised there."
Chairman of the CoA Vinod Rai too made a statement during a press meet, saying, “This is all rubbish. There has been no case of lack of communication from the selection committee. Our selection committee works independently. As far as players’ (Vijay and Karun) statements are concerned, we have left it on selectors to decide about them,”.