A selection committee meeting to pick the probables for the Under-23 and Ranji Trophy teams had to be deferred on Tuesday after the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Ashok Sharma, also the convenor, objected to the presence of three directors. Sharma, in a letter to the DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, appealed for selection committee meetings ‘to maintain transparency, fairness and the integrity of the selection process’.
DDCA secretary Sharma said the senior selection committee members Yashpal Singh, KP Bhaskar and Manu Nayar, as well as chief coach Sarandeep Singh were present in the meeting when three directors insisted on being part of it.
“Directors cannot be part of the selection committee meetings. However, Harsh Singla, Anand Verma and Manjeet Singh entered the room and demanded that they be part of the meeting. I had to defer the meeting as they refused to leave. I have written a letter to the DDCA president highlighting the issues related to today’s selection committee meeting,” Sharma told The Indian Express.
When contacted Manjeet claimed that the meeting was an informal one. “As per my understanding it was not a formal meeting but just a discussion. Hence I joined,” Manjeet said.
DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, however, said he was unaware of the fracas at the selection committee meeting. “I was told that there were data computation issues and hence the meeting was postponed,” Jaitley told this paper. When asked about Sharma’s letter, Jaitley said he had not got time to check his email.
In the letter to Jaitley, Sharma wrote: “The recent selection process has raised serious concerns about the functioning of the DDCA selection committee. Contrary to established practices and BCCI guidelines, the Apex Council members have overstepped their roles, undermining the autonomy and credibility of the selection committee. We urge you to revisit the selection process and ensure that it adheres to the norms and best practices followed by the BCCI… today, a few directors also attended the meeting, which raises concerns about potential bias and undue influence. Notably, one of the directors’ presence seems particularly pertinent given that a family member is a candidate for selection.”
Sharma said he would wait to hear back from Jaitley before convening the selection committee meeting again.
The postControversy in Delhi Ranji and U-23 selection: Meeting abandoned after three directors refuse to leave | Cricket News appeared first on Indian Express
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