Rohit Sharma to join Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri, Ajinkya Rahane, MSK Prasad and CoA in appraisal meet

Team India’s limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma has been invited to attend the performance appraisal of India team on Wednesday in Hyderabad. While it was initially expected to have the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), India skipper Virat Kohli, chief coach Ravi Shastri, Test deputy Ajinkya Rahane and chief selectors MSK Prasad, Rohit too has been asked to be present as talks will range from selection policies to new player contracts.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, a senior BCCI official confirmed that Rohit too has been asked to join the meeting. “Yes, he will be there. It is only fair that the limited-overs deputy and Test deputy are also there as talks will involve selection policies and remuneration of the cricketers,” he explained.

The constant chopping and changing of the playing XI has been a cause of concern and the CoA might have a word on the same with Kohli and Shastri. In fact, in his first press conference as stand-in skipper at the Asia Cup, Rohit had spoken about the need to make the players feel comfortable by giving them a long rope.

“Nobody likes to be dropped and brought back into the squad. We want everyone to be feeling safe and settled, so that they can play freely. As a captain or player, you want your team to be settled and even the guys who are eyeing that spot want to be settled,” he had said.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly in an interview to the Hindustan Times had said the same during the England tour when asked about Rahane’s lack of confidence.

“I have no doubt that India needs Rahane in the middle-order in both Tests and ODIs. Being dropped after doing well in the shorter-format could have hurt his confidence. Rahane seems like someone who is a big confidence player and this is where Kohli’s role becomes important. He needs to put his arms around Rahane’s shoulder and give him that boost. In the past generation, most of the top players played both formats for India – Tests and ODIs. If after so many years, the team management still hasn’t been able to show him that confidence and faith, then that needs to be worked on immediately,” the former India captain opined.

It is also said that the CoA wants the selectors to have a say in the final playing XI and if that isn’t the case, the point of one selector travelling with the team is a waste. But CoA chief Vinod Rai made it clear to Hindustan Times on Tuesday that he would not get into selection matters as long as there is good communication between the players and team management.

This after news has been doing the rounds that India opener Murali Vijay and middle-order batsman Karun Nair were clueless about their position after being left out during the England series.

First Published: Oct 10, 2018 09:29 IST