So, either there is a VRS scheme or its equivalent in Indian cricket or there isn’t. Either way, somebody is looking stupid.

If indeed there is one, it is time to mourn for it undermines a cricketer’s ambition and a selector’s prerogative. A cricketer has a right to play on till such time as he thinks he is fit and able and a selector has a right to determine whether that intent makes him worthy of a place in the team. You cannot barter a deal. That is for lesser pursuits in life; like being a member of Parliament before a no-confidence motion!

If, as in the current situation, you have players who have done very well for a long time and a call has to be taken on their future, the selectors first make up their mind and then have a dignified conversation with the player concerned. The non-negotiable here is the selector’s decision. You cannot sign a deal with a player for four games, for example, and keep him in the side if he doesn’t score a run in the first three and drop him if he makes a double hundred in the fourth.

Ideally that conversation should happen before a player’s value has eroded but when the end is in sight. It should be a little nudge that says a push is round the corner. It then allows the player to either announce his retirement or take up the challenge and accept the push if the performance is not forthcoming. But for that to happen the selection committee has to be independent and their judgement non-negotiable. It is not impossible for it happens every day in places where merit is respected.

... contd.