Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev speak out on 'harsh' Lodha panel reforms

Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev has described some of the Lodha panel's recommendations as 'too harsh' while also voicing his concern over the cooling-off period of three years for administrators in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Kapil said that the selectors should get a minimum of a five-year term to prove their capability.

"I think three years for anybody (is harsh), it should be minimum five years. I think if you appoint national selectors, they come to know by that time. Minimum five years sounds very good. Three years is too quick. Things are happening and before you know whether you should do it or not, the time is over. Running such a big organization is not a small thing.

Maybe 30 years back it was different. Back then we didn't have coaches and management. Now you have professional people to help," said Kapil while answering fellow commentator Sanjay Manjrekar's question during the ongoing first cricket Test between India and New Zealand here.

Echoing similar views, another former captain Sunil Gavaskar stated that like cricket, an administrative set up also requires a blend of youth and experience.

"See, even in a cricket team you want a combination of youth and experience. You want experienced players who are grooming the players who are coming in. We have seen that over a period of time in Indian Cricket that there have been 3-4 senior players and 1-2 junior players inducted into the team.

I think the recommendations from what I read in the papers, where you must also have situations where you want people who have been there for a long time," Gavaskar said.

"Kapil Dev has retired. I have retired from the game. That is something the administrators need to look at. If I am not having a designation and I am still going, it is not the way to do it.

Also, if you look at the current Board and their recent history, there is constant change at the top level, president and secretary have changed and their fixed term for them. I think state associations should be given time and they can also see how the system works at the BCCI," he added.

The two stalwarts also reflected their views on another Lodha panel's recommendation of one vote for one state.

Kapil said that some of the suggestions are 'teething a problem' while questioning how could a place like Maharashtra which has done so much for cricket can have only one vote.

"I think it is teething a problem. With cricket changing so much, you want to give a fair chance to everybody. Some things that I come to know, delight me. There is an age (limit) for everybody. There is one year left for me to be a selector, fine because it says 60 years.

But I could not understand that Maharashtra can have only one vote. How can a place like Mumbai which has done so much for cricket can vote only after three years? I am not saying what he is trying to do. I am saying what we feel as a cricketer. Yes, change is required. I think the cricketing work should be done by cricketers and administrative work should be done by administrators and similarly the financial work should be done by finance people," he said.

Backing Kapil's stance on one state one vote, Gavaskar emphasized that the recommendation is a little bit hard on associations that have been the founding members of the Board.

"Like Kapil said, I feel the thing about one state, one vote is a little bit hard on associations that has been founding members of the Board.

If you go to England, you will find that not every County plays the English County Championships. Not every state plays in Australia's first-class championship (Sheffield Shield). Therefore, to have every state play Ranji Trophy is going to dilute the level of cricket and not help us at the international level," Gavaskar added.

Gavaskar and Kapil's comments came following Ravi Shastri's views on Lodha panel's recommendation of cooling-off period. The former team director stated the suggestion would make it difficult for former cricketers to join the BCCI.

Earlier, the BCCI while defying the panel recommendations appointed MSK Prasad as the chairman of the senior selection committee, and Sarandeep Singh, Jatin Paranjpe, Devang Gandhi and Gagan Khoda as its members.

Justice RM Lodha-led committee, however, recommended that the senior selection committee can only have three members, and they must be former Test players.

(ANI)