Former Indian selector says Wright was spineless

Ashok Malhotra, the former Indian selector, has reacted to John Wright's criticism of India's selection policy by saying that he was a "spineless character".

In his book, John Wright's Indian Summers, Wright had said, "The first six or seven selections were straightforward but when it got down to the marginal selections - those last three or four spots [which] determined the balance of our team and your ability to develop new players - the zonal factor kicked in and things would get interesting."

Malhotra said that Wright did not have his own opinion and would often tow the selectors' line. "In the end we had to remind him that there were only 14 players and he had to suggest names," Malhotra was quoted as saying by UNI . "Where do you think so many young players came from if the selectors were not doing their work? Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and their lot came in because of the selectors. He [Wright] knew 20 players but we knew 290 and so there would be a difference."

"I am really sorry to say that these foreign coaches come to India to earn million dollars and go back to write books criticising the country. When they are here they tow the line, and only when they go back they find so many faults."

Pranab Roy, another former selector, said that if this was the situation then more than one player would have played from Bengal. "However, I would not like to comment anything regarding this matter further without reading the book."