Chauhan out of action again, Sanghvi included

(ICC) panel would prefer that he (Chauhan) is not be selected until remedial work has been successfully completed. "On Rahul Dravid’s exclusion, selection committee chairman Ramakant Desai said: "He often slows down the run rate."Lele and Desai were involved in a comical situation during the press briefing when asked whether Ajay Jadeja would continue to open the innings.

While Desai replied in the affirmative, Lele intervened to contradict the former’s reply by stating that the selectors’ were in favour of Navjot Sidhu and Saurav Ganguly as openers. "But we have left it to the captain and coach (Anshuman Gaekwad) on who should open the innings," he later clarified.

On the preference of Sanghvi over Mumbai left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni, Desai said that the 23-year-old Delhi lad was a bigger turner of the ball. "We felt that on Bangladesh pitches, which are similar to our own, Sanghvi would be better than Kulkarni as he is a bigger spinner of the ball," Desai explained.

Lele disclosed that the skipper Mohammed Azharuddin would bat at number three as he had expressed his desire to do so before the selection committee. Dravid, Kulkarni and Mumbai all-rounder Ajit Agarkar were the other names that came up for discussion during the meeting.

The team assembles in Calcutta on January 7 and departs for Dhaka the following day.

THE TEAM: Mohammed Azharuddin (captain), Ajay Jadeja (vice-captain), Navjot Singh Sidhu, Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Sairaj Bahutule, Robin Singh, V V S Laxman, Nayan Mongia (wicket-keeper), Debashish Mohanty, Harvinder Singh, Javagal Srinath, Rahul Sanghvi. Coach: Anshuman Gaekwad Manager: Ranga Reddy (Hyderabad).

The recommendations of the ICC panel which were forwarded by the ICC chief executive Dave Richards in a letter to the BCCI secretary is as follows:

After reviewing the video footage, on the evidence available, the panel were unanimous in their view that Rajesh Chauhan has a problem with his bowing action. In their opinion, there is a definite straightening of the arm prior to the delivery which constitutes a throw under Note (a) of Law 24 of the Laws of Cricket:

Note (a) – definition of a throw: A ball shall be deemed to have been thrown if, in the opinion of the either umpire, the process of straightening the bowling arm, whether it be partial or complete, takes place during the part of the delivery swing which directly precedes the ball leaving the hand. This definition shall not debar a bowler from the use of the wrist in the delivery swing.

They request remedial work to be undertaken as soon as possible to help the player make the necessary adjustment to his action so that it complies with the law.

Under the circumstances, it would be appropriate for ICC to appoint a respected and qualified off-spiner-coach to work with Chauhan on his action. I hope your Board agrees to this proposal so that necessary arrangements can be made. It may involve Chauhan travelling overseas to work with the coach. ICC will be responsible for the coach’s fee only.

A copy of the videotape is enclosed. This should be reviewed by your coaching staff in consultation with Chauhan.

On the basis that improvement is made to his action to eliminate the straightening his arm in delivery rotation, he should be video-taped by your Board in the nets and in domestic cricket. The camera angle should be from the front, behind and square-leg. Please make available a copy of the video tape for further review by the panel.

In the meantime, his continued selection in international cricket runs the risk of him being no-balled for throwing. The panel would prefer that he not be selected until remedial work has been successfully completed, but acknowledge that selection is a matter for your Board to decide.