I really tried not to write about the John Wright - Indian selectors controversy, but it has gone too far now. It's so obvious by the selectors' reactions that whatever John has said is true. I don't think anyone of John's stature would go to the level of talking shit about something to get cheap publicity. Also, he has been there during the team selection, so he would know exactly what the selectors did. The exclusion of V.V.S. Laxman and Anil Kumble from the World Cup 2003 team would give one some idea of how the selectors push players from their zone... to the extent of excluding two of the finest players. The sudden inclusion of Dinesh Mongia after more than 2 years absense from the Indian team and the way Sourav Ganguly was sent out of the team after all he had done (agreed his batting and fielding form are bad now, but he should have been sent out gracefully) for it are other examples. Pushing mediocre players from his own zone at the cost of good ones, asking Rahul Dravid to keep wickets in the one day form of the game instead of finding a new 'keeper, the absense of a regular opener in the longer form of the game... I can go on. I see no reason for the selectors to act like cry babies if whatever Wright has written in his book isn't true. A lot of people say a lot of things everyday, can't react to each one of them. But that's not the case. And I do agree with Wright that the selection system has to change or Indian cricket will never reach the top in both forms of the game. I wouldn't be surprised if Dinesh Mongia and Parthiv Patel are included in the forthcoming World Cup.

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