NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Dismayed by the team's poor performance during the ongoing tour of South Africa, the Indian cricket board on Friday decided to rush chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar there.

India was bundled out for 91 and lost the second limited-overs international by 157 runs Wednesday in Durban. It was the first international outing of the tour for Indian cricketers, after the opening one-dayer was rained off.

The Indian team's poor show sparked anger back home and even prompted a top cricket administrator to say that not a penny should be paid to non-performing players as match fee.

The Indian cricket board's president Sharad Pawar said on Friday that Vengsarkar had been asked to convey the sentiments of the nation to the cricket team.

Vengsarkar, who took over as chief selector two months ago, has been asked to join the squad at the earliest.

Vengsarkar will talk ''with the coach, captain and players and communicate the feelings of the countrymen,'' Pawar told independent New Delhi Television.

Cricket board's chief administrator Ratnakar Shetty said the proposal for performance-linked match fees was yet to be discussed, but the players were not in danger of having their wages slashed for the poor performance in Durban.

Shashank Manohar, a vice president of the cricket board, sparked a debate by saying that non-performing players must not be paid huge match fees.

Shetty was quoted by Press Trust of India as saying that the performance-based payment might be discussed after the South African tour. —AP

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...