Pawar hits Dalmiya for a six

By John Cheeran
Sharad Pawar has taken his time, but he has given a fitting reply to Jagmohan Dalmiya.
President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has told Dalmiya that it was "not proper" on his part to interfere in the selection committee's decision to drop Sourav Ganguly from the Indian cricket team for the Ahmedabad Test.
In his reply to Dalmiya's letter, which urged reinstatement of Ganguly, Pawar said "I understand the feelings of Sourav fans, but I am of firm opinion that we should not interfere with the selection process as the selectors are appointed by the General Body and we must repose faith in them.
“I am sure Ganguly will fight back into the Indian team by his performance,” Pawar said.
”I wish to draw your attention to the fact that when Ganguly was not selected for the one-day internationals against Sri Lanka and South Africa, there was a big debate," Pawar said.
”However, my predecessor Ranbir Singh Mahendra did not intervene in the matter of selection as he must have rightly felt that it would set a bad precedent.”
Now here are my questions to Dalmiya.
What prompted him to ask Pawar to use his casting vote in selection?
Is it because Dalmiya, in the past, used to act like in the same manner?
Is Dalmiya confessing that he was the Super Selector when he and his cronies were in power? Everyone in Indian cricket knows that Sourav Ganguly was forced upon the Indian Test team when selectors chose the side for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka in Chennai.
If you remember, the selection committee meeting was advanced so as to help Dalmiya proxy Mahendra to ‘guide’ selectors and ensure Ganguly’s selection in the Test side.
The writing on the wall was clearly big enough at that stage for Dalmiya and Mahendra to read.
Hence they made Chairman of selectors Kiran More make a volte-face and bring in Ganguly there. The new selection committee has set that mistake right.
This was not the first time, a player or for that matter a former captain, has been dropped from the team.
Why I haven’t seen or heard Dalmiya making noises when players like VVS Laxman dropped from the team for World Cup?
Is it because Dalmiya’s heart bleeds only for Bengalis? I can sense the desperation of Dalmiya, to be seen as the protector of Bengali Bhadralok. But Pawar’s timely rebuff has now completed the humiliation of the Ganguly Gang.