In the end, however, all five selectors nodded their heads in unison that Mohammed Azharuddin has to go and the best man to replace him is Tendulkar.

It took the selectors only a couple of minutes to arrive at this decision. The Bombay man in the five-man panel and also the chairman of the committee, Ajit Wadekar, did not say a word about Tendulkar's ``reluctance'' nor did Board Secretary J Y Lele convey any such message from him to the panel.

Though the actual decision took only a couple of minutes, the panel took an hour to contact Board president Raj Singh Dungarpur and get his approval.

The selectors, aware that the air was thickwith rumours, decided that their job was to select the captain and in the absence of any ``directive'' from the Board or from Tendulkar himself, they went ahead with their choice. Wadekar is reported to have said to the press, ``We have not taken Tendulkar's consent, nor has there been any such practice in the past.''

The feeling in the selection committee clearly was: ``We are selecting the best man for the job and if Tendulkar has to decline the offer, let him do so. As far as we are concerned, he has not said no to us.''

It is quite baffling as to why this `top' Board source chose to leak this ``reluctance'' on Tendulkar's part on the eve of the selection. And if what he said was true, why was the selection committee not informed about it?

Tendulkar, himself, has not said a word so far on his reappointment. Nobody is picking up the phone at his residence in Mumbai. Even Board officials have not so far been able to get to him. Lele said in Nagpur: ``We have not been able to get to him and have not gothis consent yet.''

Tendulkar, a few days ago, had shown his inclination for the job and told the same to a few friends of his. What has transpired in the last couple of days to ``change his mind'', and why does this ``top'' Board official not come out in the open and clear the air? The cricket world needs to know what exactly is happening. Will the officialdom get up and do so?