CHENNAI: The weekend will be a fresh beginning of sorts for Team India. As the senior selection committee of the BCCI sits down to pick the limited-overs side for the tour of West Indies, it will see them depart from decades-old practice, where the secretary will not be the convenor any more.
The Committee of Administrators (CoA), on Thursday, sent a new directive in line with the new constitution, which empowers the chairman of the selectors to act as the convenor of selection meetings — except on away tours where the administrative manager will be the convenor.
The selectors, from here on, will not even need the approval of the secretary before naming the squad or before naming any replacements.
However, all eyes will be on the selection panel headed by MSK Prasad, since this would be India’s first tour post the World Cup semifinal exit. The tournament was the fifth straight ICC event, where India failed to lay their hands on the trophy.
With next year’s WT20 in Australia in focus, India are preparing to field a new-look side for breaking their ICC trophy duck since 2013, dominant performances in bilateral events notwithstanding.
The three T20Is and as many ODIs in Caribbean will be an ideal chance for the selectors to try out some of the players who have had impressive runs with the ‘A’ side.
While they have accommodated one or two players in the national side, game time has been eluding them.
It is understood that the team management’s primary concern is to address the middle-order slots, an Achilles Heel for nearly four years. For two World Cups, India have gone without knowing who their No 4 will be and on both occasions it proved to be their downfall.
Going forward, it is understood that Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill — two exciting batsmen in the circuit — will be a key part of India’s limited-over scheme of things.
Apart from these two who are in Caribbean currently with the A team, the likes of Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed also stand a good chance of staying back for the senior team’s tour.
Apart from West Indies T20Is, India will play 12 more during their home season, against South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
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That, and another five in New Zealand next January, will give the selectors and the team enough time to prepare a title-winning unit.
The idea is to instill young bloods in the T20 side and gradually bring them into the ODI mold.
But before all of it, there are big decisions to make.
While the team has emerged as the most consistent performer in ICC events this decade, for all the improvements they have made on the field, the management is still some distance away off the field.
At times they have appeared directionless in terms of selection, the only exception being the courage to “rest” Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the limited-overs teams after the 2017 Champions Trophy.
In MS Dhoni, the selectors have a huge call to make. While the indications are that he wants to carry on till the next WT20, it will come at the cost of taking someone else’s spot. Then, there are the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav, who are not getting any younger.
Maybe the selectors might not include Dhoni or any of the three going forward, but if the omission is termed as ‘rested’ rather than ‘dropped’ it will serve little purpose. India have showed they are second to none in many aspects on the field. Perhaps, it is time they show it in selection meetings.
DRS for Ranji knockouts
The BCCI is all set to introduce DRS in the Ranji Trophy knockouts but sans Hawk-eye and Ultraedge. This means, if a decision is sent upstairs, the third umpire will have to rely only on the cameras to detect edges and deflections. While all available technology is possible to use on knockouts that goes on air, the BCCI believes it isn’t affordable to matches that are off-air.
Manish Pandey:
Was not given a long run, just like Iyer, but has not done too badly. Has looked in good touch in the recent times. Carried his rich IPL form into the tour of West Indies, hitting a match-winning century in the third game.