Ex-India selector Jatin Paranjape

In a candid chat with mid-day, he opened up on Rohit Sharma's selection controversy and dealing with highly-opinionated skipper Virat Kohli. He also threw some light on the MS Dhoni retirement issue.

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Edited excerpts from the interview:

How would you sum up your stint?
It was unique because there were some unique circumstances which the board was facing. It resulted in staying out [of the selection committee] for 17 to 18 months, which was very tough. It was a bit more than an embarrassment. You had people who would say that you are getting paid [without even watching any matches]. I felt no cricketer should go through that. Gagan [Khoda] and I were matured enough to take it in the right spirit. But yes, it was tough. I wouldn't lie and more so I couldn't do any other stuff as I was still under BCCI's contract. There was no information coming through from the BCCI because nobody [elected] was in charge. I remember it was such a relief when we [got reinstated] were sent to Delhi for the Duleep Trophy. I was finally able to do the justice for the bucks we were getting.

Did you keep an eye on matches despite staying away?
I was very much watching cricket, following all the scores and literally watching every ball. And MSK [Prasad, chairman of selection committee] kept us in the loop. He would tell us what happened in the selection meetings and if there was any change in expectation from the team management. It helped that everyone of us had played our cricket together so there was camaraderie in that selection committee.

How was it working with MSK Prasad and then Sunil Joshi, the current chairman of selectors?
I didn't spend any time with Sunil practically. He is a very forward-looking guy and I am sure he will do a great job. MSK is a very process-driven guy, which is great because there is so much of logistics involved with so many matches happening and keeping an eye on talented players. He ran a very democratic selection committee.

Can you tell us about Rohit's selection issue for the Australia tour?
There is a very simple process followed right through my selectorial stint. Before any selection meeting, you get a fitness report on all BCCI contracted players. There are two buckets—those available for selection and those unavailable. And Rohit was unavailable for selection. Once the BCCI physio [Nitin Patel] tells you that a player is unavailable for selection, there is nothing that the selectors can do. I don't think the external communication was handled as well as it could have been. That's what created the confusion. I can understand Rohit playing the IPL because it's just a 20-over game. And it was just a matter of playing two or three games. I can understand why he wanted to see that campaign through. But I think that [playing in the IPL despite the BCCI ruling him out] added to the confusion.

Were you surprised that Rohit was batting in the nets after the squad announcement?
I was immensely surprised.

Kohli is understood to have strong opinions. Was it difficult to deal with him at times?
I had the advantage of knowing Virat since very long. In fact, he was my first signing as a Nike athlete before he went to the U-19 World Cup [in 2008]. Virat is a logician. He is always well prepared, has got a great memory. He's well prepared qualitatively and quantitatively. So, he will know the statistics and he'll know the context as well behind a player being picked and not being picked. So, if you are prepared and if you have your logic in place, it's always been a great conversation with him. Quite a few times he has said, 'yes let's go with what you guys [selectors] are saying'. It is not that there were one-sided conversations. There have always been long conversations and not just at the selection meetings, but also at games and practice sessions.

Do you think it was a mistake to take Vijay Shankar to the 2019 World Cup?
Our challenge as a team is that our batsmen don't bowl and bowlers don't bat. So, in a 50-over game we didn't have a sixth bowling option. In the 2011 World Cup, which India won, imagine the amount of options MS Dhoni had. He had Sachin (Tendulkar), (Suresh) Raina, Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) and (Virender) Sehwag. So, his Top Four batsmen also bowled [a bit]. We needed somebody who could have done the job with the ball too. In England, every county team will have a guy who could bowl seam up. With the weather changing so quickly in England, we needed a guy who could take that advantage and sneak in a few overs [of seam bowling]. Honestly, this No. 4 thing was blown out of proportion. It wasn't a Test match No. 4. In white-ball cricket, we have seen the batting order being fiddled a bit as per conditions and situations. I had seen Vijay Shankar a lot and we thought he could do that job for the team. I thought maybe someone else would bat at No. 4 and he [Shankar] would bat at No. 5. Maybe Rishabh Pant could have batted at No. 4.

MS Dhoni's selection remained a mystery for a long time until he retired. Can you throw some light on what was the communication with him like?
Mahi is an absolute legend. He was the most committed guy I have seen... committed to his nation and the team. You can ask any youngster and they'll have only good things to say about him. He loved to share his knowledge. But I always felt that there should have been some closure either one way or the other. I felt that at some level he wanted to be there for the team if he was needed and I think that's the reason he wasn't announcing anything. He would just pass on information that he is unavailable for the selection on a series-to-series basis. I just thought that he wanted to keep the door open so in case the team needs him at the last minute, he should be available. But that would have become an issue because how can you go undercooked into an international series? You had to be playing some sort of cricket to do a decent job. That sort of puzzled me a bit. The chairman [MSK Prasad] and the BCCI were in touch with him, so I never got involved.

What's next for you?
I will try to scale my Khelomore business after receiving a fresh round of funding. I will always be available for BCCI or Mumbai Cricket Association. I will be more than happy to help them out. But I am not looking to take up anything full-time at the moment. I will do some writing and start my podcast where I will interview local cricketers. I love talking about the game and it just gives me an excuse. I am a die-hard cricket romantic.

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