Ashish Nehra Wrong Selection……….

Why was a fit Ashish Nehra not selected in the Indian One-day International team for the first two matches againstEngland? Why was he not considered good enough to be among the 42 players picked for the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy? Why was Nehra completely wiped out at Thursday's selection meeting? Is it the end of the road for the left-arm pacer? These are questions that the K Srikkanth-headed senior selection committee must answer.

On the face of it, dropping Nehra, 32, seems an illogical and imprudent decision at a time when the Indian pace bowling attack is virtually crippled.

Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan (ankle and hamstring), Munaf Patel (twisted ankle),Ishant Sharma (ankle ligament) are out due to injuries, and the England team must be smelling blood.

In such a scenario, it's apparent that there's more to the Delhi bowler's non- inclusion than mere cricketing and fitness issues.

Will the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) explain as to why Nehra was not selected when the bowling attack is so thin on experience? However, it's highly unlikely that Srikkanth would explain, not just Nehra's case but other selection issues as well, as the BCCI stopped announcing teams at press conferences a few years ago to escape giving reasons for selections.

Quite absurdly, according to BCCI rules, even the chairman of selectors can't explain to an important stakeholder of the game, the millions of Indian cricket fans; why a certain player has been ignored or picked. But he seems free, obviously, thanks to official patronage to enter into contracts with TV channels and speak to them on selection matters.

Probably the BCCI will not clarify such maters until it comes under the RTI Act, and that may happen sooner rather than later.

Sources in the BCCI say that there have to be "non-cricketing reasons" for Nehra's non-selection.

"His fitness certificate was submitted by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) before the team for the ODI series in England was announced. But he was ignored while Zaheer Khan was picked despite carrying an injury. The other pacers were Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma and R Vinay Kumar,"the source revealed.

The reason Nehra went out of the ODI team was due to an injury, a finger fracture he sustained during the World Cup semi-final against Pakistan.

After his injury healed, he bowled and fielded for almost two months at the NCA under the supervision of BCCI-appointed physiotherapists and trainers.

According to sources, they sent a fitness certificate to the BCCI/ selection committee before Thursday's meeting, like they had done before the ODI squad was selected for series in England.

Known for his accurate bowling during end overs in ODIs, Nehra is back to bowling at his Sonnet Club nets, preparing for his next tournament : the north zone Twenty20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy beginning on October 20.

The bigger question, however, remains: Will Nehra return for the last three ODIs and the lone T20 on October 29 against England? The schedule of the series is such that the bowler may not get an opportunity to show his form and fitness before the selectors pick the squad either on October 17 or October 18 while Delhi play their first Mushtaq Ali Trophy game on October 21.

More importantly, says sources, the BCCI should explain why the most successful bowler is being constantly ignored, despite even senior players putting in a word for Nehra. "For the series in England, captain MS Dhoni and even Sachin Tendulkar wanted Nehra in the ODI squad and they assured him that they would take up his case with the concerned people," a source told Mail Today. Observers say Nehra should have played pre-season competitions like KSCA Tournament, Buchi Babu, Moin-ul-Dowla Gold Cup, and JP Atray Tournament to show his form and fitness. But the left-armer perhaps skipped them as doesn't play the longer version anymore, including the Ranji Trophy. "He even declined to play Tests a couple of times as he feels his body won't withstand the five-day game," said one.

However, there still seems some hope for Nehra. "He didn't fit into the ODI team. And for the Challenger Trophy, he was ignored because you want to see players you've not seen. But with so many injuries happening these days, Nehra may be recalled some day."