New Delhi:
Former selection committee chiefs Dilip Vengsarkar and Kiran More have questioned Justice Lodha Committee’s recommendation that proposed pruning the national selection panel from five to three.
One of the key reforms proposed by the Lodha committee, which submitted its various recommendations yesterday, was to limit the selection panel to three former Test players retired at least five years prior to their appointment. It recommended setting up of a talent committee to facilitate the national selectors, reduce their workload and “increase the authority” of the panel.
Vengsarkar was quoted as saying by ‘ESPNcricinfo’: “The game has spread even to the small cities. The BCCI is sending grants to every association and they in turn are creating the infrastructure to encourage youngsters to play the game. So the player pool has increased now.
Presently the director of the National Cricket Academy, Vengsarkar, when asked if three selectors would not be enough, given the 30 scouts on the junior circuit providing feedback, Vengsarkar felt more is still better.
“It always helps to have more views and opinions on a particular selection at times,” the former captain said.
More, a former India wicketkeeper, said, “India is such a vast country. At the moment the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (the domestic Twenty20 tournament) is taking place across four venues. Suppose there are three selectors, then how many games can they watch?”
