New Delhi, Oct. 16 -- There are few jobs in Indian cricket - not just the most popular sport but the national passion of its 1.4 billion population - more thankless than that of a national selector. The rewards are limited; the scrutiny is relentless and the margin for error is almost non-existent. A player who scores a century is celebrated, a captain who wins a series is applauded, and a coach who turns around a struggling team earns praise.

The selector who makes the right call often goes unnoticed. The one who gets it wrong becomes a convenient target for everyone, from former cricketers and television pundits to an unforgiving public. It is a curious imbalance in a game where the success of the team depends as much on the quality of...