IND vs ENG: 3 reasons why BCCI had to intervene and stop communication gap between team management and selectors – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stepped in to clear the air and stop an alleged “communication gap” between the team management and the selection committee. There have been disagreements and rifts between the two parties over the course of the past few months, and Jay Shah and Sourav Ganguly have stepped in to nip out any issues in the bud. To gauge concerns, the BCCI themselves have opened a channel of communication with the Virat Kohli and Co. and the Ravi Shastri led team management to ensure smooth sailing during the ongoing IND vs ENG series.
IND vs ENG: With the IND vs ENG tour key in line with the World Test Championship cycle and the upcoming T20 World Cup, BCCI has left no stone unturned to set things right with president Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah in rounds of meetings with chief selector Chetan Sharma. The committee is up for review in December, and the discussions were in place to establish a blueprint.
Getting Lord’s ready 💪#TeamIndia #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/cy0x5K122y
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 10, 2021
Speaking to Times of India, a top BCCI official said, “There were issues pertaining to communication and messages getting lost in translation. So the board top brass is looking to create a system so that the team management and players can have their concerns heard by the top management without much delay.”
Here’s a look at three reasons why BCCI had to intervene and stop communication gap between team management and Selectors.
1. Rift between selectors and team management over Shubman Gill’s replacement
IND vs ENG: Ravi Shastri’s team management and the selection committee led by Chetan Sharma were divided after Shubman Gill was ruled out for the IND vs ENG tour due to injury. Gill, who played the WTC final was ruled out of the entirety of the tour. Despite knowing the extent of the KKR star’s injury, the selectors were reluctant to draft replacements, waiting for the tour game against the Select County XI before sending in Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav to England.
2. Demand of too many backup options including Prithvi, Suryakumar
IND vs ENG: Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav are still in quarantine and will only be available from the third Test. KL Rahul was selected to play in the middle order, he returned to the top of the order during the opening IND vs ENG Test match, as Mayank Agarwal was also out with a concussion. The Ravi Shastri led team management also requested for an additional player with Jayant Yadav and Devdutt Padikkal as options, but the selectors denied the request. The two Mumbai batsmen were sent to the UK despite India having lost Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan to injury. Things could worsen for Virat Kohli and Co. with Shardul Thakur also nursing an injury.
3. Lack of clarity in team building
IND vs ENG: While the Australia tour showcased India’s great depth, there has been a clear lack of clarity in team building. That was evident from India’s loss in the World test Championship Final to New Zealand, where they lost inside three days. Fringe players have remained on the sidelines for far too long and have had limited match experience despite questionable returns from some of the team’s stars and multiple instances of players complaining about “lack of communication” has been known.
With the IND vs ENG tour key in line with the World Test Championship cycle and the upcoming T20 World Cup, BCCI have left no stone unturned to set things right with president Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah in rounds of meetings with chief selector Chetan Sharma. The committee is up for review in December, and the discussions were in place to establish a blueprint.
