COA chief Vinod Rai backs Virat Kohli over Team selection matters

Vinod Rai urges former Indian greats to get into cricket administration.

CoA chief Vinod Rai | PTI

BCCI Committee of Administrators (COA) chief –Vinod Rai, on Friday, came in support of the under-fire Indian skipper Virat Kohli, especially over the Team selection in South Africa, where they have lost the Freedom Series with the defeat of the first two Tests.

Many criticised Kohli for his bold selection decisions in South Africa, but Rai felt that there is nothing wrong if a ‘captain should be given a free hand in the matter of team selection’.

Speaking to Press Trust of India, Vinod Rai said, “He has motivated the players. He’s very aggressive and systematic on the field. He’s doing an excellent job. A captain should be given a free hand in the matter (of team selection). You can’t have a captain being controlled from outside. I think he’s given a totally free hand and he’s been able to mould an excellent team.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) wants to see Cricket in the next edition of the Olympic 2024 probably with the T20 version, but it could not be possible without the BCCI approval, and Rai said, “It’s still under consideration. We will see. It depends a lot on the cricket loving population of the country. What’s the kind of cricket they want. It will take place slowly.”

Rai also urged former greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Kapil Dev to get into cricket administration in a big way, saying, “I think it’s high time that cricketers come into administration too. I’ve been feeling for a long time that people like Sourav, Sachin, and Kapil whom I’ve personally requested come into cricket in a big way. They are the people who have come up the hard way. They learned at every level what it means to be playing cricket. Cricket administration must at least some sprinkling of former cricketers in it to make the game much better in terms of quality.”

On being asked about the upcoming IPL 2018, Raid replied, “The number of people who follow the sport passionately are Indians all over the place. We would very much like to ensure their interest and trust and the way forward for them is preserved for this country.”

He signed off by saying, “The fact the best in the world today is nurtured cherished and provided for so that they can actually be able to deliver the World Cup for the country.”

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 27 Jan, 2018

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