CoA to have World Cup review meeting with Kohli, Shastri

CoA members led by chairman Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji and Lt Gen (Retd) Ravi Thodge will also have discussions with chairman of selectors MSK Prasad.

Team India head coach Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli will be attending the review meeting with CoA.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) will review India’s World Cup performance with skipper Virat Kohli and chief coach Ravi Shastri as well as a roadmap for the next year’s World Twenty20.

CoA members led by chairman Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji and Lt Gen (Retd) Ravi Thodge will also have discussions with chairman of selectors MSK Prasad.

“We will certainly have a review meeting once the coach and the captain are back from their breaks. I will not put a date and time but we will speak to them. Also we will speak to selection committee head on road ahead,” CoA chief Vinod Rai said.

However, the CoA chief refused to divulge any further details.

“India’s campaign has just ended. How, when and where are not the questions that I will be able to tell you now,” Rai said.

There will be few questions which Shastri, Kohli and selection committee chief might have to answer.

Firstly, why was Ambati Rayudu persisted till the final series when the team management or the selectors were not convinced that he was the solution for number four slot?

Secondly, why they had three wicket-keepers in the side, especially Dinesh Karthik, who has not performed in ODI cricket for a long time and had a wretched IPL?

Thirdly, why was Mahendra Singh Dhoni shielded till number seven in the semifinal against New Zealand.

It has been learnt that it was batting coach Sanjay Bangar, who decided on Dhoni’s slot and it will be questioned why the assistant coach was not vetoed by the chief coach?

While the current five-member selection panel will continue till the BCCI AGM, it is expected that chairman of selectors Prasad will be advised to be more assertive in selection meetings.

However it’s not Prasad, who is the problem, but Sarandeep Singh and Devang Gandhi. Many believe that they have had virtually no inputs.

“Agreed that none of them have stature of Dilip Vengsarkar but together they can still hold their ground on cricketing logic. Neither Sarandeep nor Devang has any tangible inputs. MSK got some respite once Jatin Paranjpe and Gagan Khoda re-joined,” a senior BCCI source, privy to how the committee functions, said.

In fact, there have been questions as to how Sarandeep is allowed to hover around in India kit during the net sessions.