Murmurs Growing in BCCI Corridors About 'Dravid-backed' Feeder System for Team India Call-up

[asterix]

New Delhi: The Indian selection committee surprised quite a few when they decide to go with Karun Nair as replacement for India skipper Virat Kohli, who has opted out of the one-off Test against Afghanistan to prepare for the England series that follows. While the skipper's decision to skip national duty has been a topic of debate, what has also raised a few eyebrows in the BCCI corridors is the decision to once again overlook someone like Mayank Agarwal.

 

Mayank scored over 2000 runs in the just concluded Indian domestic season. But the Karnataka lad has not been considered for a place in the Indian squad due to an 'unofficial diktat', according to which players need to first perform well for the India ‘A’ team before they can be picked for the national team. People with knowledge of the situation have informed Cricketnext that with Rahul Dravid in charge of the U-19 and ‘A’ team, the national selectors seemingly have agreed that the ideal feeder line is to first have players perform in the ‘A’ team before they are rewarded with national caps, an arrangement backed by Dravid himself.

 

But the move hasn’t gone down too well with some BCCI officials who feel in that case there is no need to have national selectors as extraordinary domestic performances will mean nothing. Also, they feel that it gives out the wrong signal to the youngsters who already feel that playing the IPL and performing well there is more important than slogging it out in tournaments like the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

 

Speaking to CricketNext, a senior BCCI official said: “The selection of the India ‘A’ team by the selectors has indeed exposed the selectors and the selection policies to a lot of criticism. India ‘A’ team selection was never really scrutinised earlier since these tours were always to give exposure to the performers and to the established as well. These tours were preparation. Now apparently, it is reliably learnt that Dravid has put forth a policy that only if one performs for India ‘A’ should he be given an India cap. If this is indeed the case then it is alarming at different levels.”

 

Another BCCI official echoed the sentiments and said that one cannot forget that grinding it out in domestic cricket must be given its due. Also, he feels that getting suggestions from a former player is one thing and requiring his stamp of approval is another.

 

“Firstly, the policy has not been discussed at any forum in the BCCI. Secondly, though the selectors may come up with a consistent policy, it needs to be thought through and should not be a half-baked idea being implemented. India’s premier domestic tournament is the Ranji Trophy and performance in that tournament has to count for something more than merely being selected for an ‘A’ tour where even the playing XI would be decided by the coach and the captain. If the prerequisite for an India call-up is to play ‘A’ team cricket then the Ranji Trophy does lose significance and that is unacceptable.

 

“Thirdly, the ‘A’ tour circuit is a very disorganised structure and depends upon a lot of factors and if you notice, last year had only two tours, one where we visited South Africa for 2 multi-day games and a one day series and the other where New Zealand visited us for 2 multi-day games and 5 limited-over games. Fourthly, some of the selections on these tours are being done on the players’ performance in the IPL and this is alarming as well because it lends another impetus to the players in the IPL rather than the ones slogging away on the first-class scene. Team composition of an IPL franchise may bench a superb Indian player at the cost of a foreign player while another may get chances with another franchise and is therefore more on the radar of the selectors who are falling into this trap. It is no surprise that some of the youngsters are more keen to play IPL than to play Ranji trophy,” he explained.

 

“Therefore, if the only tour of the ‘A’ team after the start of the 2017-18 domestic season in September 2017 would be in June 2018, then how on earth would a Mayank Agarwal with more than 2000 runs in that season stand a chance to represent India. So what the selectors and Dravid are essentially saying is that you may score 2300 runs in the season and you may be in the form of your life, but till the BCCI organises an ‘A’ tour and till you play there, we don’t know you from Adam. This is a ridiculous state of affairs.”

 

Interestingly, one of the current national selectors had told the reporter when the squad for the Nidahas Trophy tri-series was selected that players needed to come through the ranks. This was in response to why Mayank was ignored even after scoring 1160 runs in the Ranji Trophy at 105.45 with 5 hundreds.

 

“You cannot jump the queue and have to come through the ranks to get picked. He is in the mix and will be considered at the right time,” the selector had said.

 

Clearly, the failures in the ongoing IPL has ensured that Nair got the nod ahead of Mayank with Kohli headed to Surrey. Nair has had a decent season in the middle-order for Kings XI Punjab, scoring 243 runs in 10 games with a strike-rate of 130.64. In contrast, Mayank has scored 118 runs in 9 games and was dropped as his highest score has been 30.

 

Another former selector refuses to buy the on-going process and said that while following a feeder line was fine, extraordinary performances in domestic cricket needed to be acknowledged as well. He went on to add that Dravid’s recommendation can be a reference point for the selectors, but they themselves need to check players doing well at the domestic level.

 

“I have no problem with Dravid’s recommendation. He has done exceedingly well for the country and his experience helps. But it is for the selectors to decide on the team. During our time also, we would have senior or former players giving us a few suggestions on players to keep an eye on. But the final call was ours.

 

“While giving players doing well in the ‘A’ team or the U-19 team an opportunity is fine, but the selectors also need to pick domestic talent. A player who has scored 2000-odd runs in a calendar year cannot be ignored because he wasn’t part of the ‘A’ team. Similarly, if a bowler picks say 40 wickets in a season, he must be given the due recognition. The job of the selectors is to not just recognize talent, but also give them the due reward,” he signed off.

 

Link: https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/news/murmurs-growing-in-bcci-corridors-about-rahul-dravid-backed-feeder-system-for-team-india-call-up-1743955.html

 

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DRAWid

[NameGoesHere]

"A senior BCI official said", " The selector said".

 

Axes being ground, rivalries being settled in blissful - and responsibility free- anonymity.

 

No wonder so much of reporting sucks. 

[rkt.india]

Quote

But the move hasn’t gone down too well with some BCCI officials who feel in that case there is no need to have national selectors as extraordinary domestic performances will mean nothing. 

how they mean nothing when India is selected out of top domestic performers, Ranji trophy an Duleep and IPL. both are domestic torneys. IPL for LOIs and Ranji an Duleep for T20s.  Most of the A team players have done well in either of these two tournaments.

 

Moreover, Selections do not happen just based on stats. How can you pick an opener in place of middle order batsman.  Kohli is a middle order batsman. Nair being picked for his place. Mayank is an opener. team already has Vijay, Dhawan and Rahul opener. Mayank will be picked only if one of them fails badly.

Edited May 10, 2018 by rkt.india

[Lannister]

It will become difficult to fit mediocre Test players like Dhawan, Rohit with in the team, so they have no choice but to get rid of in-from domestic players. Mayank should've been the backup option for Vijay, with Rahul as the other opener. There's a lot of stuff that stinks when it comes to Indian selection policies.

[sandeep]

Entire article is a bitch and moan fest about how and why Mayank Agarwal didn't get picked.  The guy has a handful of big scores and suddenly this "unnamed source" seems to think that selection is his baapu ki jaagir.

[saik]

I personally think it is a good idea to test domestic talent by playing them for India A first.

[kosingh]

This article is a bit of a non story. Trying to create a story where there is none.

[Khota]

Domestic tournaments are junk. Based on domestic tournaments you should get into India A or IPL. Based on those performances you should get into Indian team.

[Sooda]



till the BCCI organises an ‘A’ tour and till you play there, we don’t know you from Adam. This is a ridiculous state of affairs.”...

 

the ‘A’ tour circuit is a very disorganised structure and depends upon a lot of factors

 

---

 

And who's fault is that..  if the BCCI arranged A team series in a regular and organised way, the system would work fine . It is absolutely right that good domestic performance is rewarded with a A team Spot and good A team performance with a senior cap. The A team needs to be held in higher regard so that a call up to that is a big deal. 

 

btw all the calls for Mayank to be in the Nidahas squad werent entirely justified anyway-  he was great in FC and one day cricket but there were Batsmen who had better IPL records and T20 SMA tourneys- like Nair... Can't select a T20 squad based on Ranji performance

Edited May 11, 2018 by Sooda

[Forever Indian]

1 hour ago, Sooda said:



till the BCCI organises an ‘A’ tour and till you play there, we don’t know you from Adam. This is a ridiculous state of affairs.”...

 

the ‘A’ tour circuit is a very disorganised structure and depends upon a lot of factors

 

---

 

And who's fault is that..  if the BCCI arranged A team series in a regular and organised way, the system would work fine . It is absolutely right that good domestic performance is rewarded with a A team Spot and good A team performance with a senior cap. The A team needs to be held in higher regard so that a call up to that is a big deal. 

 

btw all the calls for Mayank to be in the Nidahas squad werent entirely justified anyway-  he was great in FC and one day cricket but there were Batsmen who had better IPL records and T20 SMA tourneys- like Nair... Can't select a T20 squad based on Ranji performance

Agreed. Also the case of Mayank is a good example. He was in great form in one season of domestics and look what he is doing in IPL. If one season performers are to be pushed into senior team then they are bound to fail. If by the time next A tour is scheduled a player loses his purple patch and performs poorly, then whose fault is it?

Edited May 11, 2018 by Forever Indian

[Straight Drive]

imo the criteria of performing in India A is a good one. 

[Khota]

These selectors on a good day will not understand fraction about cricket what Dravid knows. Dravid has a track record of being the best batsman in the world. Dravid is a proven winner as a coach. If Dravid says India A should be the criteria then out of respect for years of service to the game listen to him. Most of these selectors are failed cricket players and they have the audacity to challenge Dravid. Morons.

[Malcolm Merlyn]

What is Jayant Yadav's performance? Uski kiski jagir hai?

Entire article is a bitch and moan fest about how and why Mayank Agarwal didn't get picked.  The guy has a handful of big scores and suddenly this "unnamed source" seems to think that selection is his baapu ki jaagir.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[sandeep]

18 minutes ago, Malcolm Merlyn said:

What is Jayant Yadav's performance? Uski kiski jagir hai?

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

 

Indian selection philosophy since Ganguly's Captaincy tenure has consistently been to give those who were selected a fair go.  Jayant Yadav has done well in the chances he got at the int'l level, and then is coming back from injury.  Obviously there are enough people who believe in his ability and think his chance at the top level shouldn't end without him getting a full audition.  Would you rather the selection policy be more of a revolving door that randomly chases the flavor of the month, and the latest ball-tonker who manages to put together a few big scores? 

 

Besides, in what universe is Mayank Agarwal - a specialist batsman, competing for a slot with Jayant - a bowling allrounder?  

 

Mayank Agarwal may have had one good FC season. So did Priyank Panchal.  Go check his numbers from a year ago.  Should Priyank Panchal merit national selection based on one good season?  Hasn't Mayank demonstrated his consistent inconsistency in his batting before and after his purple patch?  

[sandeep]

36 minutes ago, Khota said:

These selectors on a good day will not understand fraction about cricket what Dravid knows. Dravid has a track record of being the best batsman in the world. Dravid is a proven winner as a coach. If Dravid says India A should be the criteria then out of respect for years of service to the game listen to him. Most of these selectors are failed cricket players and they have the audacity to challenge Dravid. Morons.

Dravid Saar is the best.  Every word from his mouth is gospel.   There's no proof, but he probably even shits golden turds.  He can do no wrong.  Heil Dravid.  

 

 

Edited May 12, 2018 by sandeep

[cowboysfan]

I am  not sure why everybody is against this idea.players get picked for A teams only on the back of good showing in domestic cricket.Its better to see how these guys perform against the A team opponents than rather fast tracking them from Ranjis to Test cricket.

[Sooda]

3 hours ago, sandeep said:

Indian selection philosophy since Ganguly's Captaincy tenure has consistently been to give those who were selected a fair go.  Jayant Yadav has done well in the chances he got at the int'l level, and then is coming back from injury.  Obviously there are enough people who believe in his ability and think his chance at the top level shouldn't end without him getting a full audition.  Would you rather the selection policy be more of a revolving door that randomly chases the flavor of the month, and the latest ball-tonker who manages to put together a few big scores? 

 

Besides, in what universe is Mayank Agarwal - a specialist batsman, competing for a slot with Jayant - a bowling allrounder?  

 

Mayank Agarwal may have had one good FC season. So did Priyank Panchal.  Go check his numbers from a year ago.  Should Priyank Panchal merit national selection based on one good season?  Hasn't Mayank demonstrated his consistent inconsistency in his batting before and after his purple patch?  

Actually Priyank has been consistent for 3 seasons now. I was comparing his and Easwarans numbers... and to me he should have been in the squad instead of Easwaran

 

On 5/9/2018 at 12:19 PM, Sooda said:

15/16

 

Easwaran 454 runs in 6 matches at 50.44

 

Panchal 665 runs in 8 matches at 55.41

 

 

16/17

 

Easwaran 498 runs in 7 matches at 41.50

 

Panchal 1310 runs in 10 matches at 87.33

 

17/18

 

Easwaran 564 runs in 7 matches at 47.00

 

Panchal 542 runs in 7 matches at 60.22

 

 

I have not seen either of them bat but going by stats alone, Panchal should have been in that squad instead of Easwaran.

[sandeep]

1 hour ago, Sooda said:

Actually Priyank has been consistent for 3 seasons now. I was comparing his and Easwarans numbers... and to me he should have been in the squad instead of Easwaran

 

Ranji stats can flatter to deceive.  Panchal's scored a lot of his runs against Tier 2 opponents.  He has the reputation of a limited scorer - basically a poor man's Pujara.  

 

Knowing the history of BCCI, its also possible that some of the borderline selectionc calls were influenced a bit by horse-trading as well...

[Khota]

7 hours ago, sandeep said:

Dravid Saar is the best.  Every word from his mouth is gospel.   There's no proof, but he probably even shits golden turds.  He can do no wrong.  Heil Dravid.  

 

 

If there is no proof how do you know his sheet is golden?

[UrmiSinhaRay]

Dravid is good but more BCCI will take his , Dhoni's , Shastri's, Kohli's word as Quraan, the more they will suffer.
Anyways , A teams are a good way to give exposure to players and train them.
It is clear that Indian Main Team has no free spots to nurture talents like Rohit , Dhoni or Virat.
But the flip side of overglorification of Rahul Dravid is that eventually, his foolish plans will also be accepted by the BCCI because they are too obsessed with him LMAO.
Dravid is not a great decision maker.
BCCI has already a great training system for boy's cricket in place and these kids really work hard .
So no surprises U19 kids are winning everywhere.
Indian Players are way more serious about cricket than their other counterparts honestly.

The senior team is in doldrums though, mostly due to Kohli's ego.
Dhoni atleast used to listen to coaches.
But Kohli thinks himself as the Bigg Boss and Shastri is merely a cheerleader.

There is a reason why it is the coaches(managers) who carry the name value in International Football(and in cricket) over Captains.
I get the cricket captains get to do a lot more than football captains,but still nevertheless, captains are just a more experienced player in the team with leadership qualities.
It is similar with other cricket teams but in India, this position has been equated to a god ever since Dhoni took over.
Kohli is trying to take after MSD'S autonomy, but he is actually a failure in this .

To be frank, not because I am a bong, but I want to see Sourav Ganguly as India's coach/selector someday.
He has the innate ability to see talent and is brave enough to experiment
He is also a great leader and administrator.

You know , winning is not important.
Rankings are not important.
It is the joy of discovering talents and nurturing them-building the team for future.
A team which can win.
Today's India's top position in Cricket is his legacy.
Mechanized win machines bore me.
I want to see some variations



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