BCCI deadbats Amarnath’s comments

 Sports
Dec 122012
 

The BCCI has chosen not to respond to the comments made by former selector Mohinder Amarnath in which he said that MS Dhoni’s sacking from the captaincy role after the tour of Australia was blocked by the BCCI president.

“We don’t wish to respond to these allegations at this point when the team is due to play a Test,” Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, said. “But I want to say that the BCCI has full confidence in the captain and the coach and we are fully supportive of the team. “

According to Amarnath, the selectors wanted to appoint a young captain after India’s Test losses in Australia, but N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, intervened to overrule the selector’s decision. There was massive speculation that Amarnath’s disagreements with the board were the reason his term as a selector ended abruptly when he was actually expected to be the new chairman of the selectors.

However, Rajeev Shukla, the IPL chairman, denied any such events happened. “I will not go into what he [Amarnath] has said,” Shukla said. “I don’t think it is appropriate to give statements like this. Whatever one has to say, one can say while participating in the [selection] meeting. Making comments about it, I think, it is not appropriate as it creates some kind of perception in the minds of players and fans. Selectors are independent. They are not under any pressure.”

Dhoni sacking blocked by board chief – Amarnath

 Sports
Dec 122012
 

Mohinder Amarnath at the BCCI's annual awards function, Mumbai, December 6, 2009Mohinder Amarnath has revealed the previous selection committee’s decision on relieving MS Dhoni off the Test captaincy was overturned by the Board president © AFP
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Players/Officials: Mohinder Amarnath | MS Dhoni

Mohinder Amarnath, the former India selector, has said it was the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, who overruled the selectors’ unanimous call for sacking of MS Dhoni as captain after the two whitewashes in England and Australia. “The Board President did not approve the unanimous decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Amarnath told CNN-IBN.

Post the Test debacle in Australia, Amarnath said, the selectors wanted to appoint a young captain for the triangular one-day series that followed, but their decision was overturned.

“We selected the team for the triangular series, selected 17 players but we did not select the captain,” he said. “The captain was selected by somebody else.”

Asked whether he questioned the decision, Amarnath said, “When you respect a person you don’t ask questions. But my question is, you have a selection committee those who think what is best for Indian cricket then why they are not given a free hand.

The selectors thought about stepping down then, Amarnath said, but decided against it as they, “did not want to create a big stir there as the team was playing abroad and the series was going on there.”

There was massive speculation that this was the reason Amarnath’s term as a selector ended abruptly when he was actually expected to be the new chairman of the selectors. When asked about that, all Amarnath said was: “I don’t miss it.”

Amarnath was asked to clarify a rumour doing the rounds that he was cited the BCCI constitution that stated he could not sack Dhoni without the higher-ups clearing it. “Neither will I say yes nor will I deny it, okay,” he responded. “I know the facts, and I will tell you the facts when I feel the time is right.” He did go on to say, though, that he was not aware of the constitution. Clause 13(a)(iv) of the BCCI constitution states that: “The President shall approve the composition of a team, selected by the Selection Committee.”

“When somebody becomes a selector, I don’t think you are aware of the constitution of the BCCI,” he said. “I was not aware. I don’t think even the current committee is aware of the constitution.”

According to the Indian Express, Amarnath, Narendra Hirwani and Raja Venkat, during a meeting in January this year for selecting the squad for the CB Series in Australia, wanted to sack Dhoni.

“Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of the selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper the time was not right to remove him,” a selector told the paper.

Why does Amarnath think Dhoni doesn’t deserve a place in the Test side? “If you see his track record for the last one year as captain, I am talking about Test matches, not one-day, he hasn’t done anything,” Amarnath said. “You give a run to a guy. I am not saying you should remove a guy overnight, but if you see a guy is failing again and again, I don’t think it is going to be possible to continue with the same guy.

“I think he should be replaced in Test cricket. I am not talking shorter versions. He is an asset there, he has done very well, he is a match-winner, but with the technique he has I don’t see him do any wonders in Test cricket.

“You have to look at contribution of the players, where you are playing and what opposition you are playing. We have to move ahead with times, and we have to look forward. People who have contributed to the game, we respect them, we adore them, but what is important is future of Indian cricket and not to live in the past. Cricket has changed, age has everything to do in life. We have to look ahead.

“I believe in fresh blood. I was looking forward for a guy like Virat Kohli to take over as captain in one day cricket. I think he is a fantastic player, he is the future.”

When Amarnath spoke about moving forward, he was asked about Sachin Tendulkar and what his future should be. “Sachin has been a great cricketer, a great ambassador, he has achieved everything but I think they way he is playing we see a shadow of Sachin Tendulkar,” he said. “And I don’t accept him to play in the same fashion as he has done in the past. Age is a factor. He is not alone. Look at all greats. Once you cross mid-30s, things become little bit difficult, a little bit more demanding. He is no exception. He has to take it very seriously, and I think the selectors have to have a word with him, what are his plans. Then they should take a call and then decide.”

Are the Indian selectors toothless tigers?

 Sports
Dec 122012
 

Mohinder Amarnath’s recent allegation about how the whole Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s removal after India’s 0-4 whitewash in Australia was dealt with has created a storm in the Indian cricket fraternity.

The former North Zone selector Amarnath in an interview to Times Now said, “Definitely, there were discussions to replace Dhoni and people had even agreed to do so, but for some internal reason it didn’t happen. I would not like to divulge what the reasons were.”

He did not divulge any further information but Indian Express went on to speak with Raja Venkat, former East Zone selector who said, “Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper, the time was not right to remove him.”

With majority of the selectors including Amarnath, Venkat and Central Zone selector Narendra Hirwani was in favour of dropping Dhoni after the dismal performance, but Srinvasan was against it.

The move could by no means have been successful after Srinivasan’s denial as the BCCI constitution has a clause which apparently states that the approval of the president is required while selecting the team.

Well, reason exactly not known as of yet why was proposal overlooked but then what the allegation does is that it throws light on how the cricket body in India is run.

Amarnath’s s statement does not help but makes one wonder why is there even a selection committee when the right to take the final call is vested upon the president.

After what had transpired in Dhoni’s case, it would not be harsh to say that the selectors are toothless tigers in this whole setting and work as a puppet to the higher authorities.

Because if three out of five member people thought of dropping Dhoni, ideally it should have happened but it never saw the light of the day.

There can be only two reasons for not dropping Dhoni even after selection committee’s insistence and they are either Srinivasan did not have faith in them or he just never wanted to change anything and let the sport be run the way it always used to be.

Whichever might be the reason, calling BCCI wrong will not be improper. Even selectors never could generate the faith, why were they selected at the first place?

It is a known fact and even in the past players have received immense patronage from the board president and nothing can be done about it.

But then what it does is that in the longer run the interest of cricket that gets side-tracked.

Dhoni’s case is a classic example to that. Dhoni did not receive the axe because of the people at helm and what happened is for everyone to see.

India are already 1-2 down in the ongoing series are poised for their first home series against England in 27 years.

Recent developments in Indian cricket show that the time has indeed come to change and the people at power should put the sport ahead of anything.

BCCI is an autonomous body and is not answerable to anyone, but in a nation where cricket is something which is equivalent to religion and cricketers are nothing less than Gods, demands an answer.

By Indian Sports News Network

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Three selectors wanted MS Dhoni to be removed from Test captaincy after the Australia tour

 Sports
Dec 122012
 

New Delhi: Former Indian selector Mohinder Amarnath said that the selectors were  thinking of sacking Mahendra Singh Dhoni after Indian team’s poor performance in Australia. India lost all the four Test matches in Australia following their 4-0 whitewash in England.

“Definitely, there were discussions to replace Dhoni and people had even agreed to do so, but for some internal reason it didn’t happen. I would not like to divulge what the reasons were,” Amarnath said in an interview to Times Now.

Meanwhile, a report in The Indian Express says that Mohinder Amarnath, the North Zone selector, Central Zone’s Narendra Hirwani and East Zone’s Raja Venkat wanted to remove Dhoni from captaincy. But they did not had the support of chairman Srikkanth and West Zone selector Surendra Bhave said Raja Venkat to The Indian Express.

“Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper, the time was not right to remove him,” Venkat said.

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Jacintha Saldhana’s death: Moily writes to Khurshid, says people agitated over handling of case by England, Australia

 News
Dec 112012
 

Union Minister Veerappa Moily on Tuesday slammed the way the case of Indian nurse Jacintha Saldhana’s death was being handled by England and Australia.
 
Moily has written to External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid saying that no appropriate steps were being taken to make a fair investigation or to bring back Saldhana’s body to her native place.
 
The Petroleum Minister said that the people of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka were particularly agitated over Saldhana’s death and the way her case was being handled by the two countries involved.
 
“People from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, where I hail from, are very agitated over the handling of the matter… I am told no appropriate steps are being taken to make a fair investigation or to bring back the body to her native place. This is a matter of grave concern… Please consider intervening in the matter for a fair investigation to ensure speedy repatriation of the body,” Moily is said to have written to Khurshid.
 
Saldhana’s worked as a nurse in London and she had allegedly committed suicide last week after fell prey to a prank call by two Australian radio presenters who pretended to be the queen and Prince Charles. They elicited sensitive information about Duchess Kate Middleton’s pregnancy.