Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir did not attend today's selection committee meeting but won his 'unoffical battle' against DDCA's sports committee and Bishan Singh Bedi on two counts -- playing the Punjab match at Roshanara and keeping pacer Navdeep Saini in the squad.
Delhi will take on Punjab at Roshanara club from December 22 in their penultimate group league match and the squad had only one change from the one that was selected against Vidarbha.
Left-arm seamer Pawan Suyal has come in place of left-arm spinner Manan Sharma as Delhi plan to produce another seamer friendly result-oriented track.
Former India captain Bedi under the aegis of National Capital Territory Cricket Association again fired a salvo at chairman of senior selection committee Chetan Chauhan for playing at Roshanara Club instead of Feroz Shah Kotla along with the question of selecting Saini -- a player from Haryana's Karnal.
"After our Association had specifically objected to non Delhi players being selected in various Delhi teams, DDCA Management has decided to be absolutely intransigent and include the same boy, in the team announced today, by Chairman of the Ranji Selection Committee," Bedi was quoted as saying in a press release without naming Chauhan and Navdeep.
"It is shocking that a renowned cricketer like our current Chairman takes his dictation from senior Management and puts a stamp of approval on all what he is told to do," Bedi has further stated.
"The team management and the captain wanted Navdeep Saini in the squad. The selectors and the team management have taken a unanimous decision to select Saini," Chauhan told PTI today.
"Since the team has a very bright chance of qualifying for the knock-outs, they wanted to play on a result-oriented pitch. I can assure you that the last group league match will be played at the Kotla," he added.
