Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'If you ask Virender Sehwag to be India's chief selector...': Harbhajan Singh's 'spend money' message to BCCI
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said the lack of a lucrative salary is one of the biggest reasons why noted former cricketers stay away from the selection panel and prefer to work as a broadcaster. Harbhajan gave the example of former India opener Virender Sehwag to support his claims.
There has been no official word from the BCCI on Chetan Sharma's resignation as the chief selector of the senior men's team. The former India pacer stepped down after he was heard revealing internal details about the functioning of the Indian cricket team in a 'sting operation' aired by a TV channel. His comments on Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Umesh Yadav and views on the alleged rift between former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli reportedly irked the team management. The BCCI, however, have been tight-lipped on the matter. They haven't officially confirmed Sharma's resignation, nor have they named his replacement or an interim chief selector.
As things stand, the selection panel is without a chairman of selectors. Former India opener Shiv Sundar Das, who has the most Test caps among the current panel, is believed to be functioning as the interim chief selector.
One of the biggest criticisms of the BCCI in the last few years has been its inability to rope in big names as part of the selection panel. India's last three chairman of selectors - Chetan Sharma (23), Suni Joshi (15), and MSK Prasad (6) - had a collective tally of 44 Tests. That is rather low considering the rich history of Indian cricket and the high stakes each of its matches carries.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said the lack of a lucrative salary is one of the biggest reasons why noted former cricketers stay away from the selection panel and prefer to work as a broadcaster. Harbhajan gave the example of former India opener Virender Sehwag to support his claims.
"If you ask Virender Sehwag to become the chief selector, then the salary of that post needs to be analysed. I don’t know how much the chief selector in India earns, but if Sehwag is in commentary or in other businesses around cricket, then it's likely he is earning more money. If you want Sehwag, a player with stature, for the chief selector’s job, then spending money has to be key. If you don’t spend money, then you will have to choose selectors from players who may have only played a year and might not be that big a name. If a man like Rahul Dravid is made the coach, then the chief selector must have the same stature as well — jiski awaaz mein dum ho, jiske wajood mein dum ho (whose voice and stature carry weight)," he told The Indian Express.
When asked whether he would be ready to take up the role if the remuneration is improved, India's third-highest wicket-taker among spinners said "why not".
"The job of the coach is to stay with the team and plan around the team. But team selection is also an equally important job. You have to pick and select the best players and if you don’t select players that are needed by the coach or captain, then the chief selector's position doesn’t have value," Harbhajan said.
