Selection Committee Persisted With KL Rahul, Despite There Being A Lot More Options; Failed To Identify Role For Rishabh Pant – Danish Kaneria

Former Pakistan National Cricket Team spinner Danish Kaneria has slammed the former senior men’s selection committee of the BCCI, saying that they backed KL Rahul despite his failures while not giving enough opportunities to the other opening batters.

On Friday, November 18, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to sack the entire senior men’s selection committee, which was led by Chetan Sharma.

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In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria mentioned that the Chetan Sharma-led selection panel didn’t provide openers like Shubman Gill a lengthy run. He also opined that the selectors failed to identify a role for the young wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. He stated:

“The selection committee persisted with KL Rahul, despite there being a lot more options. The likes of Shubman Gill weren’t provided with enough chances.

“They failed to identify a role for Rishabh Pant. They couldn’t see that they had someone like Pant who could have done really well as an opener.”

You will end up on the losing side if you select the playing XI based on personal likes and dislikes – Danish Kaneria

The 41-year-old further said that the Indian team management should also be blamed for the team’s yet another failed World Cup campaign. He mentioned how the head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma sidelined Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. He said:

“Apart from the selection committee, the Indian team management also needs to be blamed. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid had made it clear that both Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel would sit out unless there was an injury.

“This isn’t the ideal approach. You have to make changes depending on the situation. You will end up on the losing side if you select the playing XI based on personal likes and dislikes.”

Also Read: “IND vs NZ: Wasim Jaffer Feels Rishabh Pant Will Open The Innings With Shubman Gill In New Zealand T20Is