5 controversial selection-related decisions in cricket

The most difficult part of being a captain, coach or a selector is selecting the playing eleven for a game and benching the four other players in the squad. The decision needs to be a rational one else it may lead to grave repercussions for the team and its performance.

Cricket has seen many controversies born out of unreasonable and questionable team selections which ended up demotivating the players and diluting the fans' zeal for the game.

The team selection should process should be governed by factors like player's form, fitness, the pitch and the opposition. Over the years, many debatable team selection-related decisions have been taken. Here are five such controversial instances in cricket.

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#5 Dropping Mithali Raj in the 2018 Woman's World T20 semi-final

Mithali Raj is one of the gems of Indian cricket and a true legend who scored a plethora of runs in women's cricket to lead her country to numerous victories.

As a captain, Mithali led India to the World Cup final on two occasions but unfortunately couldn't lift the trophy. She is one of the stalwarts of India's middle order in ODIs and is also a reliable opener in the T20 format.

Mithali is the only batter to score more than 6000 runs in women's ODI cricket. She is also the first Indian batter to cross the 2000-run mark in T20Is.

India recently lost to England in the semifinal of the 2018 ICC Women's World T20. Perhaps, the biggest factor of the loss was their team selection that raised many eyebrows. The experienced Mithali, who had won Player Of the Match awards in the tournament, was axed from the team in the semi-final.

In her letter to the BCCI, Mithali gave a detailed description of her dispute with head coach Ramesh Powar. CoA member and former Indian women's team captain Diana Edulji was also embroiled in the controversy. The veteran batter's axing and the accompanying chaos has taken centerstage in Indian cricket during the last few days.

#4 Third opener picked over Pujara in the 2018 Edgbaston Test

Cheteshwar Pujara was surprisingly left out in the first Test against England

India's tour of England 2018 produced a gripping Test series which cricket aficionados were thrilled about. The fan frenzy combined with constant media spotlight was enough to turn the tour into a summer soap opera. The first Test was played at Edgbaston and Cheteshwar Pujara had diligently prepared for his favourite format by playing in English county season prior to the tour apart from spending several hours drilling his game in the nets.

Shockingly, Pujara was left out of the first Test and India fielded an extra opener in his place. Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul featured at the top three. But none of them could make an impact.

Dhawan had registered two ducks in the practice game and seemed totally unprepared to face the England bowlers. The moving ball troubled him and the southpaw never seemed comfortable at the crease. India lost by just 31 runs while chasing an achievable target of 194 in the final innings. If only Pujara was selected, the result could well have been different.

#3 Dropping Kapil Dev in the 1984 Calcutta Test against England

Kapil Dev was dropped for playing a reckless shot

An exemplary all-rounder and a trailblazer - Kapil Dev was a match winner in the true sense. He was at the receiving end of a harsh decision made by the selection committee. The year was 1984 and England were touring India. The hosts were leading the series after winning the first match.

The second match was being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla and was heading towards a draw on day five. That is when Kapil tried playing an aggressive shot and got out. The last few wickets fell quickly handing England a famous victory.

Kapil was dropped for the next match at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta. The selection committee headed by Chandu Borde decided to drop him as a punishment for playing a reckless shot in the previous match.

The skipper Sunil Gavaskar was also a part of the selection committee. Kapil alleged that the opener was responsible for his omission. However, Gavaskar denied any involvement in the controversial move.

#2 Dropping Shane Warne in the 1999 Antigua Test

Shane Warne labelled Steve Waugh as the most selfish player he has played with

Leg-spinner Shane Warne was dropped by skipper Steve Waugh from the playing eleven during Australia's tour of West Indies in 1999. In his new book 'No Spin', Warne has labelled Steve Waugh as 'the most selfish player' he has played with.

Warne underwent a surgery on his right shoulder in 1998 after the India series. He made a comeback in 1999 but the spin genius was struggling to get the rhythm right and picked up just four wickets at an average close to 95.

Going against the wish of the other two selectors, Steve Waugh decide to drop Warne in the crucial series deciding Test against the West Indies at Antigua. Even after Allan Border's suggestion on persisting with the ace leg-spinner, the captain went ahead with his controversial decision. Although Australia won that match and levelled the series, the axing infuriated Warne to a great extent.

#1 Adil Rashid's selection in the 2018 Test series against India

Adil Rashid was surprisingly recalled into the Test squad despite opting out of County cricket

England's key limited-overs leg-spinner Adil Rashid's name surprisingly appeared in the squad for the first Test against India in Edgbaston. The reason why his selection left the England fans and experts astonished was that Rashid had signed a white-ball only contract with Yorkshire just prior to 2018 county season. He had thus not played any red-ball cricket since September 2017.

One of the factors of prime importance in England's Test team selection process is the player's performance in the 4-day format of the English county championship. Rashid's selection despite him opting out of the 4-day format was lambasted by many former English greats as well as Yorkshire's chief executive.

Rashid's ability to turn the ball on any surface and a need for a quality wrist-spinner tilted the scales in his favour. The move worked in England's favour as he picked three wickets to play a part in a thrilling victory at Edgbaston. He continued to impress and picked vital wickets to contribute to England's 4-1 series triumph.