BCCI kicks transition can down the road

In name of looking forward, senior batter Pujara dropped but other moves not keeping with skipper Sharma's post final promise

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

THE Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have once again played it safe at the time of selecting a squad before a Test series. The two-match Test series against the West Indies, beginning of next two-year WTC cycle, offered the board a clean slate. Yet, they have spurned the opportunity.

Sure, people may point out towards the exclusion of Cheteshwar Pujara as the first sign of transition but it’s not the first time that he has been dropped. Ajinkya Rahane, who was below Pujara in the scheme of things (Rahane is without a central contract while Pujara has one), not only figures in the squad but he has been named vice-captain for the trip.

You can’t be serious about transition if you plan to appoint a 35-year-old as the vice-captain, a posting normally reserved for a future leader. But then, this is just what the BCCI are prone to do. In December, they had elevated Pujara to the role as vice-captain for the away series against Bangladesh after Sharma had to return home following an injury. Rahane was below even Suryakumar Yadav in the pecking order in the longest format as late as three months ago but now, Yadav is not even part of the Test squad.