HOWZZAT: Not all selections and decisions for the Champions Trophy are judicious!

There are wheels within wheels in Indian cricket. After the team selection for the Champions Trophy in Mumbai on Saturday, many doubts have cropped up. First, are rules framed by the BCCI meant to be broken. The answer is an emphatic yes.

Point No.1. All those saying play in domestic cricket and prove yourself this is meant only for mass consumption. If domestic cricket matters, then Karun Nair would have been in the squad for the Champions Trophy. To say his name was discussed and he still does not make it is a no-brainer. His runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy are not only heavy in sheer statistical measure, it came in for praise from legend Sachin Tendulkar. Karun, obviously has no Godfather to back him.

Point No.2. To leave out Sanju Samson and Mohd Siraj is baffling. Sanju, apparently, was done in by the Kerala State Cricket Association as he had not come for the camp. Thus, he was not selected for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Any day, Sanju would have been a better choice than KL Rahul. Again, Sanju has been the unwanted child in Indian cricket so many times. As for Siraj, he would have been the right guy. Imagine, Harshit Rana is a sort of cover and Arshdeep get into the squad. Not Siraj, who is fit and has no issues like Mohd Shami, whose comeback is being hailed as if he will be the messiah. There is a strong lobby backing Shami from Kolkata, and he has not proved his fitness a 100 per cent.

Point No. 3. Jasprit Bumrah is injured and the amount of lies peddled are out in the open. Skipper Rohit Sharma himself said there are doubts on Boom. His back is definitely messed up and he will go for further MRI scans in February first week. Then why was he named in the squad? Is the BCCI bankrupt that it picks an injured Bumrah who was advised ‘bed-rest.’ Do they again want to damage a fast bowler whose back injury is not just a spasm. Details of injury have not been revealed and the collective PR machinery of Bumrah and his wife Sanjana Ganesan has tried to project confusing images. What kind of pressure this is being done under defines Indian cricket. The world loves Bumrah, so would it not be prudent to preserve him. Again, the BCCI selectors, once described by Mohinder Amarnath as a bunch of selectors has not come out smelling like fresh roses from a garden.

Point No.4. Now it is clear, since Bumrah is unfit, he has not been named vice captain for the Champions Trophy. The lucky man who gets elevated is Shubman Gill. Gill is talented, bright, yes. Has he been in form, no, not at all! In fact, he was dropped for a Test in the BGT Series. So, we will have a captain and vice-captain for Team India, both not having scored runs in recent times. Was not Rishabh Pant a better choice as deputy, or is he being groomed as the next Test captain.

Point No.5. The return of Shreyas Iyer could not have been stopped. He is the King but has faced so many harsh moments. He has been a hot pick in the IPL auction, dares to score in domestic cricket and does not hesitate to speak the truth. Memes and social media of what he did for KKR in IPL 2024 as captain was magnificent. Any day, he played a bigger role than Gautam Gambhir in the IPL win in 2024.

Point 6. Gautam Gambhir’s wings have been clipped. That is why he was not at the press conference on Saturday and Rohit Sharma spoke freely. Who is the boss, becomes clear now!