India veteran Dilip Vengsarkar has slammed BCCI President for donning 'many hats' and speaking on behalf of national selectors. Vengsarkar's reaction comes in the wake of Ganguly's recent comments to the media.
Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper, was advised by Ganguly to not rush his return as it could aggravate the hamstring tear which led to his omission from India's squads for the tour Down Under. Rohit, however, was spotted in the MI nets and he eventually returned back to the starting squad after sitting out for four games. The opener was also slotted into the India Test squad after the board announced revised squads on Monday.
According to Vengsarkar, Ganguly should allow others to speak instead of giving his take on various matters. The BCCI President had also spoken about the feasibility of the IPL when the tournament was in jeopardy due to Covid-19 outbreak.
“It’s quite astonishing to see the Ganguly wearing so many hats as he speaks on behalf of the supposedly appointed chairman of selectors, Sunil Joshi, as why ‘X’ was dropped and ‘Y’ was not selected and why ‘Z’ was not considered, besides how somebody is still not fit,” Vengsarkar told the Times of India.
“When the IPL dates and venues were being discussed and organized, he was speaking on behalf of the IPL chairman. Sadly, time and again he’s sticking his neck out on behalf of those who are capable of taking decisions and explaining them on their own. Is he undermining their credentials? Or does he feel he knows more than the others?"
"I always believed the game should be run by former cricketers and was expecting a lot from Ganguly. However, whatever I have seen so far is beginning to change my mind," he added.
Vengsarkar also raised questions over Rohit's selection conundrum for the Australia tour. After recovering from his injury, the MI skipper is set to lead his side in the summit clash of the on-going IPL edition against Delhi Capitals (DC).
“Rohit surprisingly sees himself being dropped from the Indian team for the tour because the BCCI physio has ruled him out due to hamstring injury. Now, the question is: How did the MI physio declare Rohit fit to play in the IPL? Why is there a discrepancy in the reports of two physios?” said Vengsarkar.