Since Chetan Sharma's resignation from India's chief selector post, one question which has been floating on top of everyone's mind is who will be take up the top post now. Amid the speculation of becoming India's next chief selector, the legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh has finally broken his silence.
Speaking at the Idea Exchange session of The Indian Express, the 42-year-old cleared the air on becoming Chetan's successor, however, he didn't deny taking up the job in the future. But he wants equal pay for selectors and coaches. The India head coach is paid nearly Rs 7 crore per year while India's chief selector has a salary of Rs 1 crore.
“Let’s see. If things shape up moving forward, and coach and selector are equally paid, then why not? The job of the coach is to stay with the team and plan around the team. But team selection is also an equally important job. You have to pick and select the best players and if you don’t select players that are needed by the coach or captain, then the chief selector’s position doesn’t have value," Harbhajan said.
Harbhajan in his illustrious career snared 417 Test wickets and 269 in ODIs. The chief selector's position is vacant since Chetan stepped down from the top post. On technical grounds, Harbhajan can't join Team India's selection panel as an aspirant should have retired at least five years ago before applying for the job. Harbhajan retired from the game in December 2021 and will be allowed to apply for the position in December 2026.
Harbhajan started working as a commentator before his retirement and continues to share his insights. He hasn't taken up coaching role with any IPL team yet. He is now a member of the upper house of Parliament.
Harbhajan also shared his thoughts on why the chief selector’s role is not considered lucrative enough by prominent former cricketers in the country. Citing Virender Sehwag's example Harbhajan said, “A man with stature, one that has played the game quite often, will solve a lot of issues at the selector level. But why wouldn’t they take up the opportunity? I’ll give the example of Virender Sehwag. If you ask Virender Sehwag to become the chief selector, then the salary of that post needs to be analysed."
"I don’t know how much the chief selector in India earns, but if Sehwag is in commentary or in other businesses around cricket, then it’s likely he is earning more money. If you want Sehwag, a player with stature, for the chief selector’s job, then spending money has to be key," the 42-year-old stated.
"If you don’t spend money, then you will have to choose selectors from players who may have only played a year and might not be that big a name. If a man like Rahul Dravid is made the coach, then the chief selector must have the same stature as well – jiski awaaz mein dum ho, jiske wajood mein dum ho (whose voice and stature carry weight)," Harbhajan concluded.
ALSO READ:
Dominant Australia break South African hearts, win Women's T20 World Cup for the sixth time
PSL 2023: Fakhar Zaman smashes 10 sixes in 45-ball 96 against Peshawar Zalmi to break Shadab Khan's record
