NEW DELHI, November 22: With one ear glued to their cellphones and eyes on their homemade Tendulkars, many who matter in Delhi were spotted at the practice ground adjoining the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium last fortnight. The occasion? Selection trials for the Delhi under-16 cricket team for the Vijay Merchant Trophy. Over 700 boys were graded by the selectors of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), with one of the parents quipping, "It is easier to get a ticket to the state assembly elections".Needless to say, it was a harrowing time for the selectors or the `Panch Piaras' as one former Test cricketer called them. ``Earlier, I had the impression that every third person in the Capital is a VIP. Now I have changed my opinion. Every single person is a VIP. We (selectors) had to go through a lot of pressure from several quarters in the last fortnight when the trials were being conducted,'' conceded Sheel Mehra, chairman of the selection committee. ``Somehow, people get to know the selectors' telephone numbers and trouble them during day and night,'' he added.And, when they finally managed to name a jumbo team (for obvious reasons) of 20 players and 14 stand-byes after a two-day delay, the selectors realised that their troubles had just begun.Several parents, whose children did not find a place in the team alleged that the selectors had ``succumbed to political pressure.'' "It is rumoured that the DDCA officials had received phone calls from people in Sonia Gandhi's office favouring the selection of a particular boy,'' an insider confided. Another affected parent's grouse was: ``My son stands no chance because the selectors listen only to politicians, police and income tax officials, etc''.There was another angle to the situation as one junior selector, seeking anonimity, revealed: They (selectors) had to oblige those who have picked them as selectors!Moving back to the selection trials, among the droves of hopefuls who came for the trials included sons of several former cricketers of the state and close relatives of some political leaders. Mudit Shastri, son of Anil Shastri (Minister in Narasimha Rao's cabinet) and grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, was one of them. But the youngster, a batsman, did not make it.Now what was all the fuss about? The selectors were basically looking for was an addition of about 10-12 players to complement the five players who were in the side last year. But the deluge of recommendations ensured the final list was released barely 15 hours before the team's departure for Rohtak for their first match.The selected boys were then made to spend more than five hours at the Kotla on Thursday before leaving for Rohtak around 3 in the afternoon, to play their match the next morning. The result was there for all to see. Delhi conceded the vital first innings to Haryana.
