Players' contract can influence team selection: Pawar

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) Admitting that advertisement companies could influence Indian team selection, BCCI chief Sharad Pawar today revealed that some young cricketers had complained him of their apprehension regarding their place in Indian team due to endorsement-selection nexus.

''If 8/9 players sign a contract with XYZ company, the companies want the players to be always in the team. It is not an official complaint but on the surface it looks like this.

There is a feeling like this amongst the younger players. A young player said this to me but for the sake of his future I will not talk much about this,'' Mr Pawar told CNN-IBN in an interview.

''I have asked some trusted people to look into this. There will not be official investigation but we are looking into this,'' he said.

Mr Pawar said the Board will look into players' contract to find out whether there were clauses in them which provided for more money if they (players) spent more time at the crease.

''It's an unofficial complaint that a player's contract had a clause which said that more time a player spends in the wicket the more money he will get. If this is so the approach of the player will not be to lose his wicket. If found correct the system needs to be strengthened. So I have asked the players to submit copies of their old contracts,'' the BCCI chief said.

He also said the Board did not issue any specific instructions to the selection committee to rest senior players Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly for the upcoming Bangladesh tour.

''It is a selection committee decision. I do not interfere in the process of selection. Any such reports are baseless and wrong.

''There was a board resolution that a young team should be selected. The board simply asked them (the selectors) to select a team of 20 so that more youngsters get opportunity.

I told selection commitee chairman that you take a decision on merit and what you feel is correct for the future of the team and the board will stand solidly behind you.'' Regarding the notice sent to Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh for speaking to the media on the face off between Greg Chappell and senior players, Mr Pawar said the board was just following the guidlines.

''Before I became president, guidelines were issued that in case a player is in the team he cannot speak to the media without perior permission nor he can have a contract with the media. The Working Committee felt that these guidelines were violated.

''We did not give any notice to Tendulkar but simply asked him for an explanation. After getting the explanation the chapter is closed now.'' Mr Pawar also said the board will accept the coach appointed by a committee which has Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Venkataraghavan as its members though he himself heads it.

''The decision on coach will be taken by three persons: Gavaskar, Shastri and Venkataraghavan. Whatever they decide we will go by it,'' he said.

UNI