Date:07/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100757061800.htm

Sport - Cricket

Vengsarkar lauds BP XI’s display

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: Dilip Vengsarkar, former chairman of the National Selection Committee, is pleased with the batting and bowling show put up by the Board President’s XI in the four-day game against Australia which concluded in Hyderabad on Sunday.

“It’s an outstanding performance as a team. What our committee had envisaged, they put it in practice. Our committee had invested in youth for the warm-up game against Australia.

“My committee was criticised for the selection of Virat Kohli ahead of S. Badrinath for the one-day series in Sri Lanka, but Badrinath went to Sri Lanka as a replacement for Sachin Tendulkar. I had seen Kohli as an under-15, 17 and 19 cricketer. “I am particularly happy with the way Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Piyush Chawla performed in the match. India has a good potential in these players as also in Badrinath and M. Vijay, who is in form,” he added.

Vengsarkar, who did not resign from the Vice-President’s post of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in order to continue as chairman of the BCCI’s Senior Selection Committee, was at the Mumbai Marathi Patrkar Sangh on Monday to inaugurate a 46-photograph exhibition of the Beijing Olympic Games organised by veteran photographer Mohan Bane.

When told of K. Narayanachari’s passing away, Vengsarkar said: “I knew him very well. Chari was India’s best cricket photographer.”

Former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, who is in Kenya said: “Sorry to hear about Naraynachari’s death. He was a good man and a top photographer.”