Why I will be rooting for Stuart Binny to prove his critics wrong

The Indian team's selection for the World Cup yesterday was terribly upsetting, but not because three players I had favoured - Murali Vijay, Robin Uthupa and Manish Pandey - were ignored; rather, it was because of the nonsensical insinuations that Stuart Binny found a place because his father, Roger, happens to be part of the selection committee.

Stuart was not in the squad I had predicted, but that is not germane to the issue. I've known Roger for years - almost from the time he made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1979-80 - and have not known a more genial or upright cricketer. He played the game fairly, like a gentleman; as a selector he has been perhaps even more conscious of propriety.

Perhaps it is not widely known that Roger recuses himself from the meeting when his son is discussed. Nobody has asked him to do this; it's something he has followed of his own volition, to ensure that nobody points a finger at him.

It is also pertinent to know that Stuart, now 30, has been playing first class for 11 years. In that sense, he was in contention for a place in the national side ever since, because that is what first-class players aspire to. Roger, on the other hand, has been selector only for a couple of seasons.

Should he not have been given this task then, just because his son is a player too? Also, the selection committee is made up of five people and Roger is not even the chairman. It's not that people like Sandeep Patil are supine.

Conspiracy theories provide great grist for debates - in the media and elsewhere - and not all are unfounded. Debate over the choice of players for a major tournament is important and must take place. But there must be a distinction between the reasonable and the ridiculous.

Having vented my unhappiness, I am delighted that both father and son will now have represented India in the World Cup. For the record, three other father-son duos -- Lance and Chris Cairns, Ron and Dereck Pringle, Chris and Stuart Broad -- have done this earlier.

Roger and Stuart are the first from India. And given the number of children who are taking up sport seriously after their fathers in India today (Arjun Tendulkar for example), we might see more such examples in the next 20-25 years - and not just in cricket. How cool is that!

But while this is interesting trivia, it is how players perform on the field of play that obviously carries greater weight. Stuart will be under harsh scrutiny from experts, sceptics and fans alike to see whether his selection was justified.

Were there options to Stuart who were overlooked? The hugely popular Yuvraj Singh and my own preferences Vijay, Uthupa and Pandey were apparently strong claimants for places - but, in hindsight, not at the expense of bowling all-rounders Axar Patel and Binny who bring balance and depth to the side.

The others under discussion are all batsmen. India's top order looks packed with most batsmen in very good form. If at all a place had to be made for any from Yuvraj and Uthupa, it could only have been for Shikhar Dhawan (who's been struggling in Tests in Australia) or Ambati Rayudu.

The selectors perhaps have chosen to persist with players they've backed for a couple of years now rather than going by the past reputation of a Yuvraj or the strong performances in domestic cricket of some others.

Team selections never find unanimous approval, and there are always some lucky cases and some hard luck ones. The challenge for marginal selections like Axar and perhaps even more, Stuart, is to exploit the opportunity thrown up unexpectedly.

What should inspire Stuart is that his father's inclusion in the 1983 World Cup squad too was not bereft of criticism. He was seen as a useful bits and pieces player, not somebody invaluable.

As it happened, Roger took the highest number of wickets in the tournament and was a crucial factor in India's fantastic victory. The son takes after his father in also being a (medium-pace) bowling all-rounder and brilliant fielder.

As mentioned earlier, he was not part of my squad. But I will be rooting for Stuart Binny to prove his detractors wrong.