Lehman pointed out that Bailey is not the right man to make the tough calls.
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“In my opinion, he’s too close to the team,” Lehmann said on ABC Sport.
“I would like him sitting up watching in a selectors’ box somewhere and be able to make his own decisions.
“My preference is the selector to be able to make decisions within a selection group and deliver a hard message if they have to. Make a hard decision if they have to for the betterment of Australian cricket.
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“Now, you can’t do that sometimes if you’re too close because you actually get too emotional and you care about the players. As a selector, I cared about the players, as a coach you do, but sometimes you actually get too close and you forget about what’s out there.”
Lehman said as a selector Bailey is not strong even.
“Are players playing too long? History shows in the last little bit, maybe they have been.
“Selectors have to be a little bit stronger.”
Giving example of his own career, Lehman recalled how his career went “a year-and-a-half too long.”
“I was too old to be playing at that level, I wasn’t sharp enough or ready enough to face bowlers at 150kph and I think you actually get to that stage,” he said.
Earlier in this series former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy has criticised Bailey for sitting in the dug-out alongside the Australian team.
“He went out and shook hands with everyone, he did the whole shaking hands in a conga line,” Healy said on SEN Queensland.
“I would be thinking if I’m an Indian cricketer, ‘What do I need to shake your hand for, you’re the chairman of selectors? I just want to hurry up and get this win celebrated’.”
Darren Lehman has called out Australia’s chief selector George Bailey for his close relationship with the current Australian squad. (File) 
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