Make live coverage of selection meetings available for all, Bengal cricketer Manoj Tiwary tells BCCI

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) To bring in more transparency in the selection of the national team, former India cricketer and Bengal’s current sports minister, Manoj Tiwary has suggested that BCCI should make a live broadcast of these important meetings rather than keeping them closed-door affairs.

The Bengal Ranji Trophy team captain also made it clear that he would take the path of such ‘live coverage’ if he ever gets to head the local cricket body –- the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

“For fans and every stakeholder, I would like to see a live broadcast of the selection meeting so that there is more transparency in the process. Everyone will know on what basis a player is picked on the team or dropped from the team. Otherwise, questions would be raised over and over again,” Tiwary told the YouTube channel ‘Cricket Basu’ while reacting to India’s team selection for the Asia Cup on Monday.

“I am happy that the captain Rohit Sharma and chairman of the selection committee (Ajit Agarkar) have at least addressed the press. Otherwise, that was also going out of circulation,” he said.

With BCCI not having a proper communication system between the selectors and players, Tiwary suggested that live broadcast is certainly a quick-fix solution at a time when BCCI is doing away with zonal selection and has two selectors out of five from Mumbai.

“I am not the only person who fell prey to lack of communication from the selectors, BCCI. There were others like Murali Vijay and Karun Nair who spoke their minds like me after getting dropped with absolutely no communication coming from the management. One stop solution is to make the selection meeting live,” Tiwary said.

He also promised that the day he gets the reins of Bengal cricket, he will make the meeting of the selection committee to pick the state team a ‘live’ event. “If at all I come to Bengal, I will make it like what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow,” Tiwary said.

Manoj Tiwary also described his playing days’ stories about the lack of communication between the selectors and players.

“There was a big communication gap when I was playing for India. I wasn’t told as to why I was dropped from the playing XI first and then from the team. Even after getting dropped from the Indian team, I had a phenomenal season with an average of over 100 in every domestic tournament. Still, I was not considered. I got no help from the selector representing East Zone then and the selector used to say that no one from other zones would take your name. Then I went back to the other selectors, they told me that if the local selectors aren’t backing you, what can we do?” he said.

At the end of the day, those simmering emotions just don’t go away and Tiwary’s case is no different.

“I wanted to play for a long time for India like other cricketers. I also wanted to be the hero of the Indian team by winning matches. But to date, I really don’t know why I didn’t play 14 consecutive games after scoring an ODI century for India. Now that I have moved on, I want to play one more season of domestic cricket and win the Ranji Trophy for Bengal,” Tiwary added.