What we talk about when we talk about selection

The crew chats about the idea of selecting a cricket team, and debates how one can have a meaningful conversation about an inherently unfair process. Should selectors be more transparent about the reasoning behind their choices? Is there a process by which we can judge a good selection? And how can anyone justify the selection of the Indian team when anything less than a victory in a global tournament (or marquee Test series) is deemed a failure?  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: How does one have a meaningful debate about selection?  Does the selection (or non-selection) of one player have a big impact on results?  Will it help us understand the process better if selectors explain the rationale for their choices? What was the cricketing logic behind Vijay Shankar's selection for the 2019 World Cup?  What are selectors looking for when they earmark a player as an India prospect? Is there anything that can be termed an 'outrageous selection' ? Does Sarfaraz Khan know why he is not being picked for India? Does it matter? Are selection debates essentially about 'who are the 11 players I like the most'? Pre 2011, should Yuvraj and Raina played more Tests than Badrinath and Rohit? The difference between Karn Sharma over Ashwin, Shardul over Ashwin, and Jadeja over Ashwin Is Shardul Thakur an extraordinary Test selection - or merely a lucky one? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page Ashoka (@ABVan) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: Why selection in India is not illogical or capricious, contrary to popular opinion - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo What more can Sarfaraz Khan do to get selected for India? - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo R Ashwin opens up on WTC drop and on being ‘traumatised’ in the past - Venkata Krishna B - Indian Express  ‘Batting is now less artistic, more power-based’ – 81allout podcast with Amol Muzumdar Watching, studying, writing, talent-spotting: a life in cricket - 81allout podcast with Makarand Waingankar