Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra commented on favouritism in team selection after former all-rounder Irfan Pathan’s old statement went viral as well. Chopra stated that a successful captain would not be influenced completely by such factors when it comes to choosing players.
In an interview in 2020, Irfan Pathan had slammed MS Dhoni indirectly, saying his sudden exit from the national team. During the 2008 Australia series, the media had reported that MS Dhoni was not happy with Irfan Pathan’s bowling.
“Yes, I asked him. During the 2008 Australia series, Mahi’s statement came out in the media that Irfan wasn’t bowling well. So I thought I had bowled well throughout the series, so I went and asked Mahi about this. Sometimes, the statements are twisted in the media, so I also wanted to clarify. Mahi said, ‘no Irfan, there is nothing like this, everything’s going as per plans.’ When you get a reply like this, then you believe that okay, you do what you can. Also if you keep asking for explanations again and again after that, you hurt your self-respect,” he had said. (via OneCricket).
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While talking about the same, Aakash Chopra added that a captain’s job is to make a team that can win the game for the country as well. He also stated that success and captaincy itself depended on results as well.
“You want to pick your best team. But if you have seen someone more in front of you and playing under pressure, you move towards them, and that is normal. You will see that players from where the coach or captain are would be preferred more. That is not bias, not favoritism. It is just the fact that they have spent more time with them,” he said. (via CREX)
“Beyond that, what happens in one room, how many people sit, how many don’t, I don’t think a successful captain worth his salt is going to get influenced by that factor. At the end he has to pick a team that can win and players who can take him to that destination. So there is a lot riding on the captain’s shoulders and the stakes are high. I don’t think that if someone does not spend more time with the captain, they would be adversely treated or dropped,” he concluded.
