BCCI raps Kumble for revealing selection details

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked Indian Test skipper Anil Kumble to restrain himself from making comments on selection issues, but itself leaked a letter they wrote to him.

Chairman of Selection Committee Dilip Vengsarkar was unhappy with Kumble over certain comments he made in a newspaper interview.

Now BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah has sent a letter to Kumble expressing the board's displeasure over his remarks and asked him to restrain himself from bringing selection discussions into the public.

But curiously, Shah's letter itself has been leaked to the media. In the interview Kumble had explained the logic behind taking two keepers to Sri Lanka Test tour. Kumble has replied to Board's letter.

Shah shot-off a letter to the ace leg-spinner disclosing board’s displeasure.

In the letter published in The Hindustan Times, Shah had written:

Dear Anil, I have been informed by the chairman of selectors that a Mumbai newspaper has published some story about selection meeting which is attributed to you.

You are aware that that the proceedings of the selection committee are not supposed to be divulged and is certainly not meant for public discussion. As a senior player you should have restrained from such interviews, with regards Niranjan Shah."

Kumble had told Mumbai Mirror that the selectors were not too keen to include two wicketkeepers in the 16-member squad. The leg-spinner disclosed that it was on his insistence that a second stumper in the form of Parthiv Patel was picked as the selection committee wanted Rahul Dravid to double up as a reserve wicketkeeper.

"As captain I am aware that there could be problems if the specialists were to pull a muscle or have runny stomach on the morning of the Test. There was a suggestion Rahul (Dravid) be the second wicketkeeper, but I persuaded the selection committee to view things from Indian cricket’s point of view and advantage," Kumble said.

"I contended there was nothing wrong in taking the additional specialist wicketkeeper. I know Rahul would not like to be saddled with such a responsibility," he added.