Outgoing chairman of selectors Sandeep Paril has refrained from making any major changes to the 15-member squad which will play three Tests against the touring New Zealand side from September 22.
Stuart Binny and Shardul Thakur were the only notable omissions to the side which toured West Indies.
The selection committee meeting which was held in Mumbai on Monday was also attended by skipper Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble.
“We had discussions with both Anil and Virat and we all felt that the team had done well in the Caribbean and there was no need of making any major changes to the side,” Patil said after the meeting.
Ahead of the meeting there was speculation over Rohit Sharma’s place in the side over his inconsistent form.
Patil though doused the speculation. “We felt that Rohit never got an extended run. He would get one game to play and then be on the bench for the next few,” Patil said.
Patil who’s tenure is set to end later this month, reflected on his four-year tenure and admitted there were many tough decisions which the panel had to deal with.
Asked if there was truth to reports that he had signalled batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar to make announce his retirement, Patil refrained from commenting, stating that the committee was answerable to the BCCI and that some aspects should remain confidential.
The BCCI has already sent out notices asking for fresh applications for the various posts of selectors.
Addressing the issue, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said that the decision was made to bring in transparency and offer all alternatives.
Asked why the BCCI decided to impose a 60-year age limit on the post, Shirke clarified that it was done as they felt older representatives might not have seen a lot Twenty20 cricket.
“The decision was done as gentlemen who are above 65 might not have seen as much Twenty20 cricket or even one-day cricket,” Shirke said.
Squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli (captain), Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Online Source
