BCCI has decided to act tough and a few top players are expected to get the axe when the selectors meet in Rajkot on Jan 12.
MUMBAI: In the wake of the Indian team's disastrous outing in South Africa, the Cricket Board has decided to act tough and a few top players are expected to get the axe when the selectors meet in Rajkot on January 12.
"I am going to tell the selectors to have a deep look at the non-performing players when choosing the team. I am talking on behalf of the Board's members who also feel in similar fashion. They have to review the players' performance," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said on Sunday.
Shah said he could not give a directive to the selectors to drop a particular player but could tell them broadly what they were required to do following the team's 0-4 loss in ODIs and 1-2 loss in Tests to South Africa.
"I cannot say how many players will be dropped. It's entirely up to the selectors. But I will certainly ask them to have a re-look at the players' performance," he said.
The selection panel, headed by Dilip Vengsarkar, will choose the 30 probables for the March-April World Cup in the West Indies as well as choose the Indian squad for the first two home ODIs against the West Indies.
The first ODI is scheduled at Nagpur on January 21 followed by the second at Cuttack three days later.
Shah's ominous words have come after coach Greg Chappell had expressed similar sentiments over the team's poor performance on Saturday in Cape Town after the Test series loss to South Africa.
Coach Chappell had criticised the batsmen for the Test series loss and said quite a few players will be under pressure when the selection committee meets at Rajkot.
"Our batting was disappointing in the last two Tests having won the first game," the Indian coach said.
"There weren't many gremlins on the wicket on the last day and that made our batting all the more disappointing.
"Looking at the tour as a whole, there are more questions than answers. Over the next week or so, when we get back to India and have a chance to digest what happened, discuss and debrief this one and look into the future, we are going to make some decisions on which direction we go and there will be a few guys under a bit of pressure, there is no doubt," Chappell said.
Foremost among the big players who have come under the scanner is Virender Sehwag who had a miserable tour and failed in both the ODIs and the Test series in which he not only lost his vice-captaincy but also his opening slot to rookie wicket keeper batsman Dinesh Karthick.
There are other players too whose performance has dipped and the selectors are certain to discuss their value to the team as India approach their last eight ODIs before the World Cup in the West Indies.
India are to play four ODIs against the West Indies later this month and four more against Sri Lanka between February 8 and 17 before departing for the Caribbean islands.
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