The phones in Yashpal Sharma's modest apartment at Alaknanda in Delhi haven't stopped ringing since he was eased out as national selector. Between a variety of Delhi and District Cricket Association officials—who want him to reconsider his decision to quit as DDCA chief selector—and an eager media, they keep him busy. One of India's '83 World Cup heroes, he's reportedly miffed by the DDCA's decision to accept the Punjab Cricket Association's nomination of Bhupinder Singh Sr as Sharma's replacement in the BCCI selection committee. Delhi's recommendation of ex-Test cricketer Sanjeev Sharma in the Junior Selection Committee comes across as a trade-off. "I don't think it's a great idea, attending North Zone selection committee meetings with Bhupinder Singh Sr as chairman of that committee," Yashpal Sharma told Outlook. "It's not about vanity, but about pride and conscience." Excerpts from an interview:
On being eased out after a year as selector.
On feeling let down.
On his backing Sourav Ganguly's inclusion in the Tests.
On preventing things from getting out of hand at a recent meeting....
On his own performance as selector.
