The selection of the Indian cricket team to tour Australia later this month has hit a snag, and his name is Dilip Vengsarkar.
The meeting was scheduled to begin at 1530 IST; but the 'Colonel' only arrived at 1800 hours.
- Vengsarkar to continue till Dec 16
Some say it is a flight delay; others, that it is a power play. Whichever -- bottomline is, the selection meeting, expected to take a good two hours or more since the selectors have to first pick the captain, then the team, is yet to begin.
And as time ticks by, there is a feeling that when -- if -- Vengsarkar finally gets here, the selectors could just pick the team for the third Test against Pakistan beginning later this week, and defer the selection for the Australia tour to another day, on the grounds that it is getting pretty late.
The committee will also pick the team for the third Test against Pakistan which will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore from December 8 onwards.
Sources say the composition of the team will remain largely unchanged. Out of form opener Dinesh Karthik may be omitted from the touring party, with Delhi and India opener Gautam Gambhir coming into the side.
Seam bowler Ajit Agarkar, who is not part of the team currently playing Pakistan, is another likely pick.
The meeting is expected to take at least two hours, following which the team composition will be officially announced at a media briefing.
Neither the selectors nor board officials will however speak to the media, beyond reading out the team list. This is seen as a means of ensuring that the media does not get a chance to delve into the controversy that has swirled around Vengsarkar in recent days.
