Delhi chief selector Atul Wassan on Tuesday defended the selection of Sarthak Ranjan, son of controversial Bihar politician Rajesh Ranjan aka Pappu Yadav, in the state’s Twenty20 squad.
Delhi’s three-member selection committee, comprising Wassan, Hari Gidwani and Robin Singh Junior, drew flak from all corners for ignoring some performing players such as Hiten Dalal and selecting an influential person’s son, who at the start of the season had almost given up on the game.
However, Wassan stood by the panel’s decision, saying that Ranjan has been part of the Delhi setup for a few years. “I had been monitoring him for a while now,” Wassan told The Field. “His selection is based on his the kind of talent he has.”
Wassan said that Ranjan did not play last year because he was dealing with depression and was not in the right mental state to take the field. “But he has been playing for ONGC, so it’s not like he isn’t playing cricket at all,” Wassan added.
The former India cricketer also rejected claims that Ranjan was picked under pressure. “All allegations saying he was picked under pressure are false, mischievous and created by factions,” he said.
Pappu Yadav, whose official name is Rajesh Ranjan, is a former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and MP from Madhepura. He has now floated his own party Jan Adhikar Party while his wife Ranjeet Ranjan is a Congress MP from Supaul.
With inputs from PTI