Kiran More has come out against the voting system which is a part of the selection process to choose the Indian cricket team. The zonal system is often criticised and an overhaul has been long overdue. For, how can the selectors act with conviction if they are bonded by pressures from their respective zones? The selection committee should be an independant body for a period of three to four years. The selectors should have had some experience in picking sides at some level to some degree. Also, they should have a reputation and not be some one whose motives can be easily questioned when taking tough decisions.

In addition to More’s remarks, VB Chandrasekhar, the South Zone selector, said this:

The chairman should be a strong person who sets the vision for the committee. Interaction with the captain and coach is important. Then there is no question of voting.

I don’t see why voting should not be there. Without voting rights, a person has little power and his word doesn’t really matter. A system of a chairman and two other selectors plus a vote for the captain and coach would mean four votes in total. So, a 2-2 tie would mean the final word would go to the chairman. That way, the chairman has the final say on close calls but over all, decisions are taken with general consensus.

Two of the three selectors More mentioned have retorted as expected. What is important to note is this - More finishes his tenure in three weeks. So why make the comments now and not earlier when he was not happy with the way things were going? What is More looking at in the near future once this tenure is over?

The Indian selection committee will be changed in the near future. It is likely that the current system will finally see an end. That is essentially a good thing. That the new process which will be put in place is a huge improvement is equally important.

Update: More has apparently done a U-turn now. Heh.

Update 2: My more detailed take on the Indian selection process and the way ahead can be read in Haftamag here.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 13th, 2006 at 4:25 pm and is filed under Cricket. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.