LAHORE, April 6: Syed Kirmani, chairman of Indian selectors, expressed hope on Tuesday that more cricket between the two old rivals would promote game in the region.
Kirmani, who is in Lahore with three other members of the selection committee, said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) always wanted to have cricket relations with Pakistan, but for political hurdles at government level.
The BCCI had arranged the committee's visit as a goodwill gesture. It was not here to have anything to do with team selection matters, he added. Kirmani, the former Test wicket-keeper, admitted that the Indian team had lately been facing a lot of injury problems, which was a point of concern. The BCCI would take the issue seriously and take measures to reduce it, he said.
He expressed satisfaction with his team's performance in Pakistan. India won the ODI series 3-2 and currently lead 1-0 in the three Test series after their crushing innings victory at Multan last week. Meanwhile, former Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkarwas disappointed at the poor turnout of fans for the Test matches in the current series.
Vengsarkar, who arrived on Monday at the invitation of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said on Tuesday that he was surprised at seeing such a poor attendance to see the two Asian giants in action.
"When we brought our team here in 1978, a huge crowd was present in the Test matches and I am surprised why it was not the same this time". To a question he admitted that holding of the Tests after the one-day series may had affected the public's response towards the Test series.
