Ajit Agarkar frontrunner to become chairman of selection committee

Gavaskar attacks Kohli, alleges ‘different rules for different players’ in Team India

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has lambasted the Indian team management for what he believes are ‘different rules for different players’ in the team set up as well as the lack of humility in the leadership group to accept ‘forthrightness’ of players who disagree with their viewpoints. Gavaskar has hit out at captain Virat Kohli’s decision to return home mid-series for the birth of his first child, while others such as the new pacer T Natarajan did not get the chance to see his newborn as he is in Australia, in his column for Sportstar magazine. “Another player who will wonder about the rules, but, of course, can’t make any noise about it as he is a newcomer. It is T. Natarajan. The left-arm yorker specialist who made an impressive debut in the T20 and had Hardik Pandya gallantly offering to share the man of the T20 series prize with him had become a father for the first time even as the IPL playoffs were going on,” Gavaskar wrote. Gavaskar also pointed out the unfairness handed out to Natarajan as he was asked to stay in Australia even after the completion of the white-ball leg of the tour, but not as part of the squad, but as a net bowler whose job is to help batsmen prepare for the Test series. Gavaskar strongly objected to the different set of standards being followed while making decisions of ‘paternity leaves’ of players. “He had become a father for the first time even as the IPL playoffs were going on. He was asked to stay on for the (Australia) Test series but not as a part of the team but as a net bowler. Imagine that. A match-winner, albeit in another format, being asked to be a net bowler. He will thus return home only after the series ends in the third week of January and get to see his daughter for the first time then. And there is the captain (Virat Kohli) going back after the first Test for the birth of his first child,” Gavaskar strongly opined. On the issue of lack of heart in the leadership group, Gavaskar has taken the reference of the off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who, Gavaskar believes, has been hard done by not for his bowling on overseas tours, but for his ‘forthrightness.’ He said that the team management always keeps a sword hanging on Ashwin and in case of an average outing on the field, he is made to sit out, while other players of the team such as the batsmen don’t have to go through such rigorous selection procedure. “For far too long Ashwin has suffered not for his bowling ability of which only the churlish will have doubts, but for his forthrightness and speaking his mind at meetings where most others just nod even if they don’t agree. If Ashwin doesn’t take heaps of wickets in one game, he is invariably sidelined for the next one. That does not happen to established batsmen though,” Gavaskar reckoned. There has been a history between Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli and his actress wife—Anushka Sharma had responded to Gavaskar when the batting maestro had taken her name while discussing the batting form of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s captain Virat Kohli in the IPL 2020.

Siraj and Saini's dash for a debut

Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini stand on the cusp of a Test debut as India chase an equalizer to keep the Border-Gavaskar series alive.

Bedi angered by Jaitley's statue at Kotla, wants his name removed from stand

Indian cricket legend Bishan Singh Bedi has asked Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) to remove his name from that of a stand in the Arun Jaitley Stadium, formerly known as Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. The former left-arm spinner has made this move to protest the decision of the body to erect a statue of Arun Jaitley, the late political leader and Minister of Finance and Defence in the Government of India, who also served as the President of DDCA. Bedi had been a strident critic of Jaitley and had made accusations of mishandling the DDCA affairs even during the deceased politician's lifetime. Allegations of financial malpractices had also been levelled by several dissidents and activists. Currently, Rohan Jaitley, son of the late leader, heads the body. Bedi has alleged that nepotism is at play and has even renounced his membership of the association. The former India captain wrote a long letter to Rohan Jaitley, expressing his strong disagreement with the proposed move and reminded the current President of the tradition of building statues of cricketers at major stadium. Bedi said that since Arun Jaitley was a politician and, according to him, his tenure as DDCA President was mired with corruption, he is completely undeserving to have his statue in the stadium's premises. The letter, which has been published in its entirety by several publications on their websites, pulls no punches in criticising the late DDCA head. He thanked the people who took the decision to name a stand in the stadium after him. But the former cricketer said that his 'patience' and 'tolerance' has run out with this proposed move. Bedi was part of a group of former cricketers who had opposed Jaitley. The allegations of corruption became a major political issue and even came up in the Parliament. Arun Jaitley even made a statement on the floor of Lok Sabha defending himself and filed a defamation suit against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making similar allegations. The charges haven't been proven and Kejriwal had to issue a public apology for making the allegations. Former cricketers like Aakash Chopra and Gautam Gambhir, the latter now a Member of Parliament himself from BJP, had also defended Jaitley's handling of DDCA. In his letter, Bedi also accused the former DDCA President of destroying the aesthetics of the stadium in the renovation that was carried out during Arun Jaitley's tenure. This story is likely to draw a strong response from both camps - pro and anti-Jaitley.

Shadab Khan ruled out of first Test against New Zealand

Pakistan's woes ahead of the first Test against New Zealand in the upcoming two-match Test series, begining on Boxing Day at Mount Maunganui, continue to grow. After the unavailability of their premier batsman and captain Babar Azam, as well as that of opener Imam-ul-Haq, now leg-spinner Shadab Khan has also been ruled out of the opening Test. In his absence, Zafar Gohar, a left-arm spinner has been called up as his replacement. Pakistan have four fast bowlers and two spinners in their squad for the first Test. As a result, while Babar's absence is bound to hurt the team greatly, that of Imam and Shadab is less certain to have an impact. Yasir Shah is bound to be a part of the starting XI. Hence, Shadab was unlikely to get into the team. However, the batting abilities of the young leggie might have given the team the temptation of picking him as an all-rounder. So far, Shadab has played six Tests but has only managed 14 wickets, at an average and strike-rate of 36.64 and 68.1 respectively. The modest stats of the 22-year old are another reason why he was never a certainty in the final XI. Gohar has played 39 first-class matches in which he has picked up 144 wickets at an average of 28.56 and strike rate of 60. His international career consists of just one ODI. Despite being selected for the Test squad, it would, in all probability, take an unforeseen sequence of events for him to make his Test debut.