The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators member Diana Edulji feels that this is not the right time to be critical of the players or the support staff. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Diana said that while the CoA prefers to stay away from on-field matters and wants the coaching staff and selectors to look into the performance of the cricketers, it will definitely review the performance of the team management when it comes up for evaluation.
“We have consciously avoided getting involved in on-field activities and strongly feel that the team management and selectors are there to look into the performance of the players. But yes, we will definitely review the performance of the coaching staff when it comes up for a review. As you are aware, they are all on a one-year contract,” she explained.
While the rest of the support staff was given a one-year contract, head coach Ravi Shastri has been put in charge till the 2019 World Cup and Diana said that while there is no need to talk about that at present, she can discuss the matter with CoA chief Vinod Rai if need arises. “Like I said, we stay away from on-field activities, but if need arises, I can always talk to Vinod Rai about any issue,” she said.
Diana also feels that it is the lack of support from the other batsmen that has led to the loss in the England series even as skipper Virat Kohli has played brilliantly and even the bowlers have done an excellent job.
“Virat has scored over 500 runs and you cannot expect anything more from him. He has been brilliant and I feel that the others needed to rise to the challenge. To be fair, when you travel to England in the second half of the summer, batting becomes slightly easier. Despite that, the bowlers have done an excellent job. They have picked 80 wickets in the series and if you see, they have been at the top of their game right from the South Africa series and that is heartening to see,” she signed off.
