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Vengsarkar will go only for Test series: BCCI
By RxPG News Service,
Nov 25, 2006 - 1:48:00 AM
New Delhi, Nov 24 - Selection committee chairman Dilip Vengsarkar will join the Indian team in South Africa for the three-match Test series beginning Dec 15, and not for the ongoing one-day internationals, a top board official said Friday.
'Vengsarkar will be going to South Africa, but only for the Test matches after he has chaired the selection committee meeting on Nov 30 to pick the Test squad for the series,' Ratnakar Shetty, chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India -, told IANS.
Shetty countered the talk that former India captain Vengsarkar would immediately rush to South Africa after India were bundled out for 91 to lose by 157 runs the first one-dayer to the hosts in Durban Wednesday.
'There is no panic situation, and Vengsarkar is not going to South Africa during the one-day series,' stressed Shetty.
'But when he goes for the Tests he can as well stay there for the entire series. BCCI president Sharad Pawar has approved his visit,' he said.
Pawar and Vengsarkar discussed the team's abysmal performance that echoed even in Parliament. Some members even demand coach Greg Chappell to be sacked, though Pawar said Friday that it would be done as the former Australia captain has contract till the end of the World Cup in March-April.
Indian batting folded up in just 29.1 overs against the five-pronged South African pace attack on a Kingsmead pitch that assisted pacers. Only three Indian batsmen reached double figures. The only consolation was that the bowlers did well to restrict South Africa to 248 before the batsmen failed.
The second one-dayer is in Cape Town Sunday.
Shetty said that the practice of the chairman of selectors going on overseas tours could be incorporated in the BCCI constitution.
'The constitution does not allow selectors to go on tours, but it can be amended - that's my loud thinking,' he said.
The Indian selectors took turns to be present during the team's tour of Pakistan this January-February and then a selector, Ranjib Biswal, was made the team manager on the tour to the West Indies this May-July.
Another selector, Sanjay Jagdale, had gone on two tours to Sri Lanka, last year and again this year.
Shetty said that the presence of the chairman of selectors on overseas tours would be different from one of the rest of four going.
'Hypothetically speaking, what will happen if the captain or the vice-captain or the coach does not agree with the viewpoint of a selector other than the chairman?' he asked.
'So we can change the policy and the only chairman of selectors can go tours.'
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