Hyderabad, Jan. 7 -- It looks like the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plays a game of musical chairs to pick the Indian team before the beginning of any important series. How else can anyone explain the strange choices that are made every time? The New Zealand series is around the corner, and again, we are seeing some choices that defy logic. It is high time that the selectors stopped treating India's most talented players like toys - to be discarded or retained according to the whim of the moment.

First comes the burning issue - why has Mohammed Shami not been included despite being fully fit and in good form? What makes this decision look even more odd is that Shami has been kept out despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah....