Raja Venkat, the former Bengal batter who was part of the selection panel for the men’s national team between 2008 and 2012, dropped a bombshell, when he told RevSportz that Rohit Sharma was not picked for 2011 World Cup squad because MS Dhoni, the captain, wanted Piyush Chawla in the side. Venkat, now settled in Coonoor, opened up about how the Krishnamachari Srikkanth-led selection panel had unanimously picked Rohit – a regular in the ODI side over the previous three years – only for the captain to veto the choice. Chawla ended up playing just three matches in the competition, taking four wickets and conceding 6.21 runs an over.
Here are the excerpts from an eye-opening conversation:
Your selection panel dropped Rohit Sharma a month before the 2011 World Cup. He had been a regular for three years before that. How difficult a decision was that?
When we sat to select the team, Rohit was very much in the scheme of things. Yashpal Sharma and I were in South Africa at that time because India was touring South Africa, and the other three selectors – Srikkanth, [Surendra] Bhave and [Narendra] Hirwani – were in Chennai. So, when we were selecting the team, numbers 1-14, every name was accepted by the panel. No. 15, we suggested the name of Rohit Sharma. Gary Kirsten also felt it was a perfect selection. But the captain wanted Piyush Chawla. So immediately, Kirsten somersaulted. He said: ‘I think that’s a better choice.’ So, that is how Rohit Sharma got left out.
Was it an unanimous decision by the selectors to keep Rohit until Dhoni stepped in and said he wanted Piyush?
Yes, absolutely.
Did you have an opportunity to talk to Rohit later?
No, we didn’t get a chance to talk to him, but again we were also disappointed that we couldn’t select him. But when the captain and coach wanted Piyush as the 15th member, we all accepted it.
That panel is remembered because India won the World Cup. Which do you think were the most crucial selections you made?
See, basically if you look at it, the team was well set. We had planned to select a set team two years before the World Cup. We looked at the long term, and that’s the reason we tasted success. We had a set team, and had some experienced players. Yuvraj was in tremendous form, Sachin was in the side too. We had pacers like Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. Ashwin and Harbhajan were seasoned campaigners. All in all, we had a good, balanced side suited for Indian conditions. That was key.
How much did you consult Dhoni and Kirsten?
See, like I mentioned to you, initially we had selected the 15 which we all felt was the right one. Unfortunately, we had to make one change, and we had to give it to the captain and the coach.