MATCH REPORTS
STAT SHEET
DIARY
OTHER SPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
PEOPLE
DEAR REDIFF

Selection controversy hots up

The war of words between Raj Singh Dungarpur, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and three South Zone selectors over the composition of the India A team to tour Pakistan escalated, with both parties engaging in much thrust-and-parry work.

For those who came in late, the three selectors -- Brijesh Patel, V V Kumar and O K Ramadoss -- had in a letter questioned the composition of the India A team to tour Pakistan, and alleged bias and favouritism on the part of the national selectors.

Dungarpur in his response gaffed his mouth with his foot somewhat, by not only dubbing the trio's views as ridiculous, but also defending the picking of medium pacer Madhukar. "Many countries have picked players whose fathers have been part of the administration," Dungarpur said in his letter.

Brijesh Patel and company have been quick to pick on the flaw in Dungarpur's response. "Why," ask the trio in a blistering letter addressed to Dungarpur, "did you in your reply mention Madhukar? In our original letter, we had not mentioned any names, the fact that you yourself have referred to Madhukar indicates the probable sense of guilt, for which you owe an explanation to the cricketing public," the three South Zone selectors have said in their latest epistle.

For the record, Madhukar is the son of Venkat Rao, BCCI vice president and, according to inside sources, a front runner to take over from Dungarpur as board president once the latter's tenure ends. Venkat Rao, who is firmly aligned with the Dalmiya faction, also has the distinction of being the first to raise the issue of bribery and match-fixing -- as manager of the Indian tour of New Zealand in 1994, Rao indicated in his post-tour briefing that at least four members of the Indian team appeared to have played for monetary gain rather than the interests of the team.

However, when the bribery scandal finally blew up big time, Venkat Rao promptly withdrew his earlier statement and said, you guessed it, that he had been misquoted.

Replying to Dungarpur, Brijesh Patel has changed the earlier, generalised tenure of his first letter, and launched a flat out attack on Madhukar's credentials -- indicating, in his letter, that since Dungarpur himself had brought up Madhukar's name, he, Patel, would like to discuss the credentials of the player concerned.

"At the outset," wrote Patel, "I wish to state that your statement, to the effect that the South Zone selectors' letter was ridiculous, has caused me great pain and anguish. We are men of standing in cricket and we have, in our own humble way, contributed to the cause of cricket, and we expressed our view to yourself in the hope that remedial action would be taken. I am of the opinion that such statements as yours are not called for..."

Reverting to the issue of Madhukar, Patel says, "I am sure you are aware that Madhukar did not find a place even in the South Zone team on account of better performances by others. This issue was discussed at the South Zone selection committee level, and it was unanimously felt that Madhukar has to perform further to ensure selection to the South Zone team."

Buttressing his argument, Patel provided statistics as per which Madhukar has played in 12 Ranji games in 1995-1997, in course of which he has taken 29 wickets; one Deodhar Trophy game in which he went wicketless; nine one dayers for six wickets and one Duleep Trophy game for one wicket.

With the latest letter from Patel rather neatly check-mating him, Dungarpur, in Mumbai, was forced to fall back on rhetoric. "I am confident the India A team will do well in Pakistan despite needless controversies," he told the media.

Asking the critics to "keep a cool head", Raj Singh said that all was not lost for a player who had not been picked for India A. "Youngsters have lots of scope to parade their talents," the board president said. "For instance, Mumbai will be playing Australia, so any youngsters from the state sidelined for the India A team (a reference, here, to the likes of Amol Majumdar) can have their chance there. Then there are other games against Australia, like the President's XI and India A fixture, for which other young players can be picked, so all talented players will get a chance to play the best team in the world," Dungarpur said.

Isn't playing a warm up game different from being picked to represent the country's A team on a tour? The BCCI president dismissed this one with a terse, "That is not the only important thing!", whatever that means.

"After the South Zone selectors raised the issue of bias in selection, I personally went and had a word with the selectors and was convinced that they only had the interests of the team in mind," said Dungarpur.

Was Madhukar a deserving selection? Raj Singh, who watched the team at nets at the Wankhede in Mumbai, said, "Well, he is not precocious, not the kind of player to make you sit up and take notice like say Sachin Tendulkar was in 1988 when I was chairman of selectors, but certainly he has promise, like other members of the team."

Raj Singh further said he has informed the national selectors that if they need any player from the India A squad to take part in a match or matches back home while the tour is in progress, they were free to call him back from Pakistan. Standbyes are being picked and their visas kept in readiness, the board president said.

Asked if he would be replying to Patel's latest missive, Dungarpur said, "No, I have already mentioned that all talented players, including the ones who didn't get to go on this tour, will get exposure, so there is no need for me to reply to him seperately."

The statement, of course, ignores the fact that Patel's grouse, as also those of his fellow selectors from the south, are not about whether or no talented young players have a chance for exposure to the big time, but centre around the question of whether or not the India A team has been picked entirely on merit.