Shah denies accusation of interferring in team selection for B'desh

Mumbai, APr 21 (UNI) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah today denied allegations of interferring in the team selection process for the Bangladesh tour next month.

''I totally deny having written to Dilip Vengsarkar (selection panel chief) to choose or drop any player from Bangladesh bound team,'' Shah said here today.

''The selectors knew that the Working Committee had given directive (on April 7) to choose a young team and they all knew about it. I need not give any additional instruction,'' he added.

Meanwhile, addressing BBCI press conference yesterday after announcement of the team for the Bangladesh tour, Niranjan Shah had accepted that the working committee of the board had indeed given an directive to the selectors to choose a young team, but said that there was nothing wrong in doing so.

The board official was referring to today's media reports that he had instructed Vengsarkar through a letter to omit Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly for the three one-day internationals against Bangladesh next month.

The two former India captains were not included in the one-day squad but found a berth in the Test team picked yesterday by the selection committee.

Vengsarkar told media that Tendulkar and Ganguly have been 'rested' for the ODIs in Bangladesh because of the vast number of ODIs (45) India are scheduled to play in the season.

''They have not been dropped but only rested. We thought it would be good to give them a break as India would play around 45 ODIs in the coming season. I have spoken to both and they have understood,'' he said while adding that they will be considered for one-dayers in future.

UNI