Former Indian wicket-keeper batsman, and Chairman of the Selection Committee of the BCCI –Kiran More has said on Thursday (12 April) that it is unfair to target the sport’s governing body in India (BCCI) for facilities provided by the board to the State Association.

More claimed that the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has been providing excellent facilities and environment for developing cricket in the country.   He also said that if states associations are failing in developing talent, then the “state associations should be targeted” not the board.

On 12 April, More was one of the guests at the birthday function of legendary former India cricketer Late Vinoo Mankad organized by Legends Club at Cricket Club of India.

As per reports in Sport Star Live, More said, “At the end of the day, the BCCI is being targeted, not the State Associations. I always feel that the State associations should be targeted. The BCCI is doing a lot of development work for junior cricket and the facilities it has created at the [National Cricket Academy], Bangalore is unbelievable. And the best talent I have seen is in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The talent there is raw, and on the basis of that, they are ready to play for India in four years’ time.”

He also feels that the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) has best facilities but coaching doesn’t match that quality, which overshadow the talent there.

The 55-year-old further stated, “You get a cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar once in 50 years. But when you talk [about] Mumbai cricket, there is quantity now, not quality. There is outstanding talent, but what you need now is quality coaching. Players should be coached, but only up to a point.”

More signed off by saying, “The budding talent should be allowed to flourish in a natural way, and they should be allowed to play freely and enjoy the game. I always traveled to Mumbai to see Tendulkar play, and now you should never miss an opportunity to see Virat Kohli in action.”