BCCI must pay chief selector same as head coach to get someone of stature, declares Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh hit out at the BCCI for the low salary offered to its selectors as compared to the head coach of the men's team, claiming it had kept the side from acquiring someone of stature for the role. He went on to advocate two head coaches for India as well as a more attacking approach.
Harbhajan Singh claimed a low salary for national selectors had kept players with a plethora of international caps from applying for the role while expressing slight interest himself in the job, during an Idea Exchange session of The Indian Express. As per the news organization, head coach Rahul Dravid is paid INR 7 crore per annum while the chief selector is only paid INR 1 crore. The other members on the panel are paid a mere comparative INR 90 lakhs, leading the World Cup winner to claim opportunities with broadcasters were worth batter for former veterans like him.
"To have a former cricketer of stature as the chief national selector of the men’s team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) must be willing to pay handsomely. With top former cricketers being on commentary panels of broadcasters, the chief selector’s role is not lucrative enough,” Singh said.
The former India off-spinner further cited Virender Sehwag as an example for the role, who has over 350 international caps to his name.
“A man with stature, one that has played the game quite often, will solve a lot of issues at the selector level. But why wouldn’t they take up the opportunity? I’ll give the example of Virender Sehwag. 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," Harbhajan further added.
Singh, with 367 caps himself across formats, even expressed interest if the conditions were met.
"If things shape up moving forward, and coach and selector are equally paid, then 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," he remarked.
In another conversation, Singh criticized India for their rigidness in sticking to old-school methods in white-ball cricket while suggesting the likes of IPL Champions Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya and head coach Ashish Nehra as potential torchbearers for a new era.
“Yes, you have two captains, so you can have two coaches. Why not? Someone whose planning is different. Like England has done with Brendon McCullum. Someone like Virender Sehwag or Ashish Nehra who worked with Gujarat Titans and Hardik Pandya won his first tournament as captain. So, bring someone who understands the concept of T20 and demands of the game," Harbhajan explained.
“I think we need to show a little more intent. If you are playing T20s then you can’t play it like a one-day match. If you are playing one-day, you can’t play it like a Test match. We can’t be dependent on two-three players to win you the championship. When you have a World Cup in front of you, you need eight to nine guys performing at the same time. One or two players can win you matches, but it is the team which can win you the tournament,” he concluded.