Captain and coach should have a say in team selection, opines Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri opined that the captain and head coach should have a final say in the team selection.
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Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has opined that the captain and the head coach of a team should have a say in the squad selection. Shastri further added that the captain of a team will be able to understand the mindset of selectors if he is a part of the meetings for the team selection.
The BCCI on December 8 announced that Rohit Sharma will succeed Virat Kohli as the ODI captain of Team India, and the Indian opener is likely to begin his leadership role in the 50-over format during the South Africa series. Rohit was already appointed as the skipper of Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game after Kohli had relinquished the T20I captaincy with the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021.Â
The BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly later revealed that the selection committee preferred having a single captain for the limited-over format, which opened doors for Rohit to become India's full-time white-ball skipper. Virat Kohli will continue to lead Team India in the longest format of the game.Â
Apart from the split captaincy in Team India, the BCCI also appointed Rahul Dravid as the national team's head coach, and the former Indian cricketer had replaced Ravi Shastri after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021.Â
Meanwhile, the former India head coach, Ravi Shastri has opined that the captain and the coach should have a final say in the team selection.Â
“I think it is extremely important that the captain and the coach should have a say in team selection. I think going forward, both should officially have a say. Especially if the coach is experienced enough, like I was and now how Rahul (Dravid) is,” Shastri told Star Sports.
Shastri reckoned that the team selection should happen in a meeting and not over the phone or outside. The former Indian cricketer further added that the captain being a part of the meetings will help him to understand the mindset of selectors.Â
“It should happen in a meeting – not on the phone or outside – where the captain is there, so that he gets to see the mindsets of the selectors.
“What happens in the meeting when the convenor is there, all the big boys are there he should be in that meeting,” added the 59-year-old.
In Australia and England, the head coach of the national cricket team is a part of the selection panel.Â
