BCCI announces new selection committee, Chetan Sharma to continue as chairman
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, January 7, announced the new selection committee for the senior men’s cricket team.
Chetan Sharma, who was sacked as the chief selector when the previous committee was disbanded following Team India’s T20 World Cup 2022 debacle, has been reappointed as chairman of the selection committee.
Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, and Sridharan Sharath are the other members who have been appointed to the new selection committee.
An official statement from the BCCI confirmed the development. The media advisory read:
“The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Ms Sulakshana Naik, Mr Ashok Malhotra, and Mr Jatin Paranjape undertook an extensive process for selecting members of the All-India Senior Selection Committee.
“The Board received around 600 applications following its advertisement for the five posts issued on its official website on 18th November 2022. Upon due deliberation and careful consideration, the CAC shortlisted 11 individuals for personal interviews,” the statement added.
Based on the interviews, the committee recommended five candidates for the senior men’s national selection committee, with Sharma’s name being put forward for the post of chairman of selectors.
Meet the new selection committee of the senior men’s Indian cricket team
Here’s a brief profile of the members of Team India’s new selection committee.
Chetan Sharma: He is the only name who has been retained from the previous selection committee. He came in for plenty of criticism following Team India’s failures in subsequent T20 World Cup editions, but gets another chance to prove his worth as chief selector.
A handy all-rounder during his playing days, the 57-year-old represented India in 23 Tests and 65 ODIs, claiming 61 and 67 wickets respectively. He also has a one-day hundred to his name.
Shiv Sundar Das: A former India opener, Das represented the country in 23 Tests and four ODIs, scoring 1326 and 39 runs, respectively. He was part of the iconic 2001 Test series against Australia at home, which India won 2-1. The former Odisha batter was appointed as the batting coach of the Indian women's cricket team in 2021.
Subroto Banerjee: A former pacer, Banerjee played one Test and six ODIs for India in the early 90s. He was part of Team India’s 1992 World Cup squad. He has been mentoring Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun for the last few years.
Salil Ankola: Former Indian fast bowler, Ankola’s international career was hampered by injuries. He played only one Test and 20 ODIs and was part of the 1996 World Cup squad.
Ankola retired at the age of 28 and pursued a career in acting, featuring a number of TV shows and a few movies. He, however, returned to his first love - cricket - and was appointed Mumbai chief selector in December 2020.
Sridharan Sharath: A domestic stalwart from Tamil Nadu, Sharath played 139 first-class matches, scoring 8700 at an average of 51.17. He earlier served as chairman of BCCI’s junior selection committee. Sharath has also worked as a BCCI match referee.