Aashish Kapoor likely to apply for post of national selector

Cheteshwar Pujara with Aashish Kapoor

 

Former Indian off-spinner Aashish Kapoor is likely to be one of the applicants for the post of the national selector for the Indian cricket team. Kapoor is currently the coach of the India Blue team.

 

The 45-year old, who played 4 Tests and 19 ODIs for the Indian team, has previously worked with the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, and coached the India A sides as well. Recently, he also applied for the post of head coach for the Delhi Ranji team. Along with him, K Bhaskar Pillai was one of the applicants for the Ranji job, and is considered one of the front-runners for that post.

Kapoor played 128 first class matches, representing Punjab and Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy. Born in Chennai, he was also part of the 1996 World Cup squad, and was known for his flight and variations in the air. He was also considered to be a capable lower-order batsman, with three first-class centuries to his credit. Kapoor last played for India in 2000.

A source told PTI: “Yes, Aashish is likely to apply for the job. He has right credentials and has a vast knowledge of domestic talent having worked with IPL team Delhi Dealerships and now with various India A sides”.

The BCCI recently laid down guidelines for the post of the national selector for senior, junior and women’s teams. For the first time, the zonal method of picking candidates has been done away with, and interviews will be taken instead. Furthermore, an age cap of 60 years has been put.

Some of the other guidelines include being an international player, or having played a minimum of 50 first-class matches. The date of retirement of the applicant should also be five years prior to their application date, and he should not be part of any IPL management or any other league in the world. Those who have completed a term of four years as national selectors are not eligible to apply, as per the BCCI laws.

With the current set of guidelines in place, there are just about 50 retired Indian cricketers who are fit to apply for the post.