There are some matters which should remain confidential: Sandeep Patil

As fans got over from the gloom of Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, various questions slowly began creeping up into their minds. One major reason was the hush-hush arrangement of the two-match Test series in November 2013 just after a day Sachin announced that he will no longer play international cricket while he was all set to travel to South Africa to play the Test series in December.

Chairman of selectors, Sandeep Patil who was heading the selection panel at that time, was asked whether Tendulkar was told in advance to retire before the hurriedly arranged series against the West Indies in 2013. Patil, however, refused to give a proper reply terming it as a confidential issue.

“There are some matters between the selectors and BCCI which should remain confidential and cannot be revealed, said Patil at the press conference after picking a 15-member India squad for the upcoming three-Test home series against New Zealand.

This was the last time Patil will chair the selection committee as his four-year tenure comes to an end with the India-New Zealand series.

“We have taken some bold and tough decisions looking at the future of Indian cricket. We are very happy at the end of our term that the team is doing well in all three formats and I wish the next committee all the best.

“Also, a big thank you to the BCCI for providing the opportunity. The Board has taken some great decisions during my time. We are happy with the roadmap the BCCI has drawn with Rahul Dravid taking over as coach of the juniors and Anil Kumble the seniors,” said Patil.

“The only sad thing about being a selector is that you end up losing some of your friends,” added Patil.

Patil also said that he was very happy to state that no outside interference was there in selection matters during his tenure. “In our four-year term not a single BCCI official of any zone approached the selection committee for any recommendation,” he remarked.

“We also leave at a time when there is a big pool of players to choose from, in all formats,” he said.

Sandeep Patil picked up the squad for home series in the presence of fellow selectors Saba Karim and Vikram Rathour, while Gagan Khoda and MSK Prasad joined in from Australia via video conference. The former India batsman further said the team would do well against the touring New Zealand side.

“We have always done well at home and I am sure we will do well against New Zealand. Hope we also do well outside India,” he said.