We believe in Patil’s credentials: Srinivasan
First Published : 27 Sep 2012, 17:54
Last Modified : 28 Sep 2012, 11:30
Mumbai, Sep 27: The 83rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was held at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai on Thursday, Sep 27. There were various decisions taken in the meeting, including picking a new set of national selectors.
After the AGM, BCCI President, Mr. N Srinivasan, addressed the gathered media to announce the various committees and share some other highlights of the meeting, before taking questions.
Mr. N Srinivasan’s address
At the AGM today, the selection and other committees were decided. The new chairman of the all India senior Selection Committee is Sandeep Patil (West Zone – Chairman) with Vikram Rathore (North Zone), Saba Karim (East Zone), Roger Binny (South Zone), Rajinder Singh Hans (Central Zone)being the other members. BCCI Hon. Secretary Sanjay Jagdale will be the Convenor of the committee.
The Junior Selection Committee will comprise chairman Chandrakant Pandit (West Zone – Chairman)along with Aman Kumar (North Zone), Jayaram (South Zone), Arup Bhattacharya (East Zone)and Pritam Gandhe (Central Zone). Anurag Thakur, Joint Secretary of BCCI will convene it.
The Women’s Selection Committee will be chaired by Gargi Banerjee (East Zone) with Gulshan Sharma (North Zone), Sudha Shah (South Zone), Amrita Shinde (West Zone) and Rita Dey (Central Zone) being the other members.
The IPL governing council remains unchanged with Rajiv Shukla as Chairman, and comprising Arun Jaitley, Anirudh Chaudhry, Dr. Ganga Raju, Sanjay Patel, Amitabh Choudhary, Ravi Shastri and M. P. Pandove.
Mr. Anil Kumble has been appointed the Chairman of the BCCI’s Technical Committee and Mr. Ranjib Biswal, from Orissa, will be the Chairman of the NCA.
The BCCI has adopted an anti-corruption code, which will be circulated to all the associations.
In other highlights of the year, the gross income of the board has been valued at Rs. 849 crores as against Rs. 581 crores the previous year. The surplus is over Rs. 382 crores compared to Rs. 190 crores in the previous year. During the year, the board spent Rs.160 crores on infrastructure development as compared to Rs. 130 crores the previous year. The one-time benefit to former players cost the board around Rs.80 crores.
Interaction with the media
On the reason behind the removal of Mohinder Amarnath from the National Selection Committee after just one year
The term of the selectors is a maximum of four years but they have to be elected annually. This is the decision of the BCCI and one cannot go into the reasons. It is not a subject of public debate. But a possible reason could be that the BCCI wanted a new-look selection committee, which I think they have now.
On whether the board lost confidence in the credentials of Amarnath
The issue is not what the credentials of an X or a Y are. The BCCI constitution says that basically it is a one-year term and you can serve for a maximum of four terms. You cannot say that it’s a four-year term and one man has got only a year. That’s not the way to look at it.
On the discussions that took place before picking the new Selection Committee
The Selection Committee is picked by the board. There is a process of consultation based on which the decision is taken. And it’s not that this process started only today morning. It was going on for quite some time because we were aware that a new set of selectors have to be chosen. There has been extensive discussion among board members for some time.
The reason behind bringing in Sandeep Patil as the chairman
It was the opinion of the board that the previous Selection Committee did a very good job overall in their four-year period, which saw India winning the World Cup. We wanted a person of sufficient stature to be the new Chairman. And I think Sandeep Patil fits the bill. No one can question his credentials.
On the Lalit Modi enquiry committee
It will continue until the end of the enquiry.
On who will replace Sandeep Patil as the Director of the NCA
Replacement for Patil at the NCA has not yet been decided.
On whether the BCCI should think of doing away with the policy of picking selectors based on zones
The policy is not zonal in the way you’re saying. BCCI have picked good selectors and in doing so it is also our attempt to see that they also represent the zone if possible. We have increased the remuneration because we want them to be more responsible, spend more time; and we believe that we have picked the best men. Also, India is a large country and with cricket being played all over, we need to keep an eye on the skill set of the players in all regions. All cricketers, who play cricket in the country, need someone to look at their performance closely.
On whether Chandrakant Pandit will have to quit his position at the Rajasthan Cricket Association
Yes, he’s now the chairman of the Junior Selection Committee, so he will step down from his post at the RCA.
On whether various talent scouts inform the selectors about players
The selectors watch matches in their respective zones. There’s a lot of cricket viewing that goes into this, and that is something we insist upon. They take turns to go and watch the domestic matches.
On whether the interest in being a selector has increased since it has become a paid job
Yes, there’s been a lot of interest. With this becoming a paid job, there are a lot of former cricketers who want to become selectors. We try to pick the best selectors that we can and I believe we have done that.
On the Deccan Chargers’ matter pending in the court
I cannot comment on the matter as it is currently subjudice. I’m informed the court may issue an order either today or in the near future. But as far as the board is concerned, it is at liberty to advertise for another franchise. But that’s a decision to be taken. If we have to go with nine teams, so be it.
