'A strong selector would ask, why you dropped Ashwin? Why you opted to field in WTC Final?': Gavaskar's bomb on Rohit

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar didn't mince his words as he spoke in detail about some of Rohit Sharma's decisions in WTC Final.

The Indian teams for Tests and ODIs for the tour of West Indies were announced earlier this week, with Cheteshwar Pujara's absence being one of the major talking points. While no official reason for given for Pujara's absence, the batter's disappointing outing over the past few months – particularly in this month's World Test Championship final – is touted as the reason for his snub from the side. Team India will be aiming for a strong start to the new WTC cycle, albeit with a change in the leadership role as Ajinkya Rahane was appointed as the vice-captain of the side.

Sunil Gavaskar wasn't too happy with Rohit Sharma's captaincy calls in the WTC Final (File/Reuters)

Rohit Sharma continues to lead the team but former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has expressed some reservations over the team selection process in the current setup. Gavaskar, referring to his own playing days, stated that there is a certain lack of accountability in the system right now, and that no one asks the tough questions to the captain and team management.

During an interview with Sports Tak, Gavaskar, discussing India's Test squad for the West Indies tour, stated that the board should've ideally convened a meeting where captain Rohit Sharma, as well as the members of the support staff, would be asked about some of the controversial decisions in the WTC Final.

"Did you have a meeting after the WTC Final where you discussed on whether you should appoint a captain? When we used to play, there was a selection committee meeting where a captain was appointed. Then, he would be asked to join a meeting two days later. He would then tell the selectors what the team needs. But this doesn't happen in our cricket anymore. Once you select a captain, he remains the captain no matter what. It doesn't matter how many series you lose, you won't be changed. If your individual performance is good, you remain captain.

“If we had a strong selector, he would ask why did you drop Ashwin? Why you opted to field first? Why did you not use short-ball tactic on Travis Head as soon as he arrived at the crease? Asking these questions are important. Otherwise, there's no accountability. You can appoint them even after asking those questions. I'm not saying drop them. But there must be accountability,” Gavaskar said.

Ashwin's snub from the playing XI became one of the major talking points during and after the WTC Final, and the off-spinner had himself talked about it in detail in days after the loss. The 36-year-old spinner, however, has retained his place in the squad for the WI series.