Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara’s international careers now lie in the rear view mirror, both former staples of the Indian Test team before a change that welcomed in youth to the red ball unit. However, with plenty of experience from their playing days, the pair of batters remain committed to trying to bring a positive change to Indian cricket.
For former Mumbai captain and Indian vice-captain Rahane, this means prioritising selection panels which are in touch with the state of the modern game, and therefore include players who haven’t been away from cricket for too long. The current rule for the BCCI states that potential selectors must wait until at least 5 years after retirement to apply for the role of a selector, but Rahane believes that number should be lowered.
"Players should not be scared of selectors. I want to talk about selectors, especially in domestic cricket. We should have selectors who have retired recently from playing top-flight cricket, those who have retired five-six years, seven-eight years ago," Rahane said while speaking as a guest on Pujara’s YouTube channel.
"Because the way cricket is evolving, I think it's very important that the mentality and mindset of the selectors match that and keep pace with the change,” further explained Rahane. “The game is evolving. We don't want to make decisions based on how cricket was played 20-30 years ago. With formats like T20 and the IPL, it's important to understand the style of modern cricket players.”
Pujara urges caution with plan
{{/usCountry}}"Because the way cricket is evolving, I think it's very important that the mentality and mindset of the selectors match that and keep pace with the change,” further explained Rahane. “The game is evolving. We don't want to make decisions based on how cricket was played 20-30 years ago. With formats like T20 and the IPL, it's important to understand the style of modern cricket players.”
Pujara urges caution with plan
{{/usCountry}}Ajit Agarkar and the recently-appointed Pragyan Ojha do indicate national team selectors who have a certain amount of T20 experience and understanding of the modern game, but Rahane would like to see more of that, particularly at the domestic level.
That being said, Pujara had a word of warning for going with a plan that sees former players and selectors punished for their experience, with the wealth of knowledge that comes with time in the role being lost if Rahane’s plan is opted for.
"In big states this can be implemented because they have so many options,” said Puujara, who hails from Saurashtra, a successful but much smaller domestic team than Rahane’s powerhouse Mumbai.
“So, wherever possible, I do agree that it can be implemented, but that does mean that any past cricketer, who has got a great record and wants to be a selector now, should be deprived of the chance because he retired long back," said Pujara, who recently announced his retirement from cricket.