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"Sack the selectors!" -- Scindia

Madhavrao Scindia, president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association and a former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, has called for the immediate dismissal of the national selectors, and the reconstitution of the selection committee.

Criticising the committee for keeping Rahul Dravid out of the Indian side, Scindia said the decision was totally unwarranted, inexplicable, and worthy of condemnation.

Scindia further expressed surprise at the selection committee's observation that Saba Karim had not been included in the side because he had "completed his quota of matches". "I am not aware when this quota system was introduced," Scindia said, demanding that the selection committee should make its position clear in this regard.

Regarding the controversy surrounding Rajesh Chauhan, Scindia pointed out that renowned cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev had meticulously examined the bowler's action based on a previous complaint by the ICC, and reported to the global body that they did not see anything wrong. "I don't understand why the ICC is raking up the issue again, now," said Scindia.

Asked about the Indore pitch, which was found below standard and resulted in the abandonment of the second one-dayer against Sri Lanka on Christmas Day, Scindia said that since the BCCI had appointed a committee under Kapil Dev to probe the incident, he would not comment at this point in time.

"However," added the former BCCI boss, "I am curious to know how the ICC appointed, as match referee, a person who has not played any cricket, at either the national or international level."

Scindia was referring to Justice Ahmed Ibrahim of Zimbabwe, the match referee for the series between India and Lanka in December and the man who made the decision to abandon the game. Interestingly -- and this is the point Scindia was making -- the ICC norm calls for the appointment of former Test cricketers of stature as match referees. And Justice Ibrahim's name does not figure in cricketing records, at any level.