22 September,2016 08:28 AM IST | | Clayton Murzello
Shishir Hattangadi, the former Mumbai skipper, who applied for a post on the junior selection committee, told mid-day yesterday that he did not expect to be picked since he does not represent state or association
Shishir Hattangadi
Shishir Hattangadi, the former Mumbai skipper, who applied for a post on the junior selection committee, told mid-day yesterday that he did not expect to be picked since he does not represent state or association.
The Indian cricket board chose Amit Sharma, Gyanendra Pandey and Ashish Kapoor, who joined chairman Venkatesh Prasad and Rakesh Parikh who were retained as junior selectors. Ahmedabad-based Hattangadi (55) revealed he was interviewed over the phone by BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke.
"As I said, I would be surprised had I got the job because you can't select anyone in 10 to 15 minutes over the phone. It was nice of them to call (at 6:45 pm on Tuesday). I have no regrets; don't feel hard done by. I knew they were going through the process," Hattangadi remarked.
He added: "One must have skills sharper than Nostradamus if one can pick and reject selectors in a 10-15 minute chat." He admitted being asked about whether it was ideal to have a three-man or five-man selection panel. "I said if three can do a good job, then you don't need five. But if five do a bad job, then even 10 are not enough," he said.
While talking to Thakur and Shirke about junior cricket, Hattangadi stressed the point that from the under-19 team which played the 2010 World Cup, only one player - KL Rahul - is playing for India.
"Obviously, the conversion rate is not great. The system could be flawed and maybe there is a disconnect between the state selectors and the national junior selection panel," Hattangadi pointed out.
