Bishan Singh Bedi calls new selection panel a ‘bunch of jokers’

Former Indian cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi is an active user on social networks and he lashed out at the new team of selectors on his Twitter handle. Former Indian wicket-keeper Mannava Sri Kanth Prasad has been named as the new chairman of selectors who took over from Sandeep Patil who was serving the position since 2013.

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) had advertised for this role, inviting suitable candidates for the role. Over 90 candidates were interviewed for positions in the senior, junior and women’s national selection committees.

However, Bishan Singh Bedi slammed at BCCI’s decision to appoint MSK Prasad as the new chairman of selectors after the 87th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Wednesday. “Why blame new bunch o jokers..oops..sorry selectors…we must try & find out who put tortoise on top o the pole…mustn’t we?!!,” Bedi wrote on his Twitter handle.

Why blame new bunch o jokers..oops..sorry selectors…we must try & find out who put tortoise on top o the pole…mustn't we?!!

— Bishan Bedi (@BishanBedi) September 21, 2016

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad will be the Chairman of the Junior Selection committee and he will be joined by Rajesh Parikh, Ashish Kapoor, Amit Sharma, Gyanendra Pandey as his committee members. The Women’s selection committee will be led by Hemalata Kala as the chairperson and Shashi Gupta, Anjali Pendharkar, Lopamudra Banerjee and Sudha Shah as her committee members.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee (Men & Women) is as following – pic.twitter.com/6BtaBENyha

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 21, 2016

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Earlier, this month BCCI decided to tinker the process which is followed to appoint the selection panel of the Indian cricket team. The previous process was that the five zonal associations will nominate for the selectors, which is now replaced with the new process of aspiring candidates, seeking to apply for the job being interviewed by the elite panel constituted by the board before their appointment to the role.