It's time for BCCI to bring changes

There have been all the right noises emerging from the new dispensation of the BCCI under president N Srinivasan, though I reckon this is a lull before a few storms break out. The Kochi franchise going to court to fight their dismissal from the IPL is a case in point and the tug-of-war with the ICC still simmers, even if below the surface.

I endorse the president's position that there should be no inquiry committee set up to look into the debacle inEngland. That would be tantamount to a witch-hunt after one dreadful series. But clearly the whys and wherefores of India's flop show on this tour will have to come under harsh scrutiny if the team has to regain its no. 1 Test ranking which Mr Srinivasan has declared as a clear objective.

Some of the findings, even from informal fact-finding; will be irksome, and it remains to be seen how the Board responds to issues like managing injuries (real or fake), number of playing days (because each day adds millions to the BCCI coffers), the succession plan for the illustrious seniors and the ever-present threat from the sports ministry to bring the Board to heel.

All this is in the future, but one aspect which the BCCI could have addressed immediately is instituting an independent selection panel rather than the current one based on a zonal system. This reform has been long overdue, and while everybody agrees that it is the most logical method, it always gets swept under the carpet.

For instance, there was a move in this direction before the annual general meeting in Mumbai, and former India middle-order batsman Yajurvindra Singh was one of those (I presume there were others too) who was sounded out by the BCCI to apply for the post of selector. Yajurvindra did that, only to find that the idea had been junked this time too.

Whether Yajurvindra (or any other who may have applied) was a suitable candidate or not is hardly germane to the issue. In fact I believe the BCCI has made a good choice in nominating the rock-solid, frill-free Mohinder Amarnath as the selector from the North Zone. But an opportunity to move into a new dimension where team selection is BCCI president N Srinivasan is right in deciding not to form any inquiry committee on India's debacle in England concerned has been lost.

It is not easy making the paradigm shift from the zonal system, which is how in fact the BCCI is structured, in selection matters alone. And yet, this must be done sooner rather than later to mitigate the constant scepticism about whether the process is fair or biased.

A selector's post is not an honorary job today; it pays a whopping Rs 40 lakh to the incumbent.

Such remuneration implies skill and expertise that need not be located in a particular zone of the country. Rather, it entails that the people considered best for the assignment are chosen from wherever they may be.

The high monetary rewards also spell out the hazards of the job.

Accountability is now intrinsic to selection. In recent months, winds of change have swept the selection committees in Australia and New Zealand. Without making the system draconian or unrealistically demanding, this must become part of the Indian cricket ethos too.

HAIL TIGER

Eulogies have come in a deluge for Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, none of them misplaced or dubious. He would, of course, have hated a halo being created around him for he was well-versed in the follies and foibles of human nature, his own included.

Tiger was his nickname but Pataudi was a colossus in the true sense of the word: a game-changer in Indian cricket with his refreshingly positive approach as a player and captain. There were those who thought of him as snobbish, but I think he was reserved and reticent, choosing to share the company of a few close friends.

Cricketers are known to have an elephantine memory and rivalries and enmities can run so deep as to last several decades or forever, but there is nary a player who had unkind words for Pataudi. He commanded respect all his life because he was not given to rancour and respected other players irrespective of their stature in the game.

He had problems occasionally with the administration, but was never a confrontationist. By and large he preferred not to be involved. When he didn't like the way he was treated, he didn't spend time lamenting or criticising in the media, but took precipitate action, like when he went to court to recover the money due to him for being part of the IPL governing council.

Of Pataudi's batsmanship, it is futile to judge him statistically. On the recent tour of England, one could see batsmen with two perfect eyes shutting both in playing short-pitched bowling, either for lack of technique or courage.

Imagine then Pataudi batting with two good eyes.