BCCI appoints Chetan Sharma as chief selector; Abey Kuruvilla and Debasish Mohanty in panel too

While 11 candidates were interviewed, the Madan Lal-led Cricket Advisory Committee recommended Sharma, Kuruvilla and Mohanty for the three vacant positions.

The Madan Lal-led CAC named Chetan Sharma as a national selector.

The BCCI named Chetan Sharma as the chairman of the selection committee, while Abey Kuruvilla and Debasish Mohanty were the other members in the panel.

While 11 candidates were interviewed, the Madan Lal-led Cricket Advisory Committee - RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik were the other members of the panel - recommended Sharma, Kuruvilla and Mohanty for the role. Three positions were vacant after the exit of Jatin Paranjape (west zone), Sharandeep Singh (north) and Devang Gandhi (east).

Even though Sunil Joshi had taken charge as the chairman of the committee, the role will now be handed over to Sharma - who has featured in 23 Tests for India. As the BCCI constitution, the person with highest Test appearances will be handed the job. "I am really thankful to the BCCI for giving me this great honour. I will do my best to do justice to the role given to me," Sharma told Sportstar .

Debasish Mohanty and Abey Kuruvilla: New responsibility.

 

The highlight of Sharma's international career was his hat-trick in the 1987 World Cup. He started playing first-class cricket for Haryana at the age of 16 and made his Test debut aged 18, a year after making his ODI debut against the West Indies in December 1983.

READ: Retirement age for BCCI scorers, umpires changed to 60

Sharma was preferred from the north zone over Vijay Dahiya, Ajay Ratra, Nikhil Chopra and Maninder Singh while Kuruvilla was opted ahead of Ajit Agarkar and Nayan Mongia from the west zone. Mohanty, the Odisha speedster, was elevated from the national junior selection panel for the slot from the east zone, thus pipping his statemate Shiv Sundar Das and former Bengal swinger Ranadeb Bose.

Interestingly, the thrilling famous Ranji Trophy final between Haryana and Mumbai, in which Sharma played a pivotal role in helping Haryana win its only Ranji title, was Kuruvilla’s First Class debut. Having worked as a junior national selector and a talent scout for Mumbai Indians, Kuruvilla is active on the domestic circuit.

READ: BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee to pick three new selectors

“It’s obviously a huge honour and a greater responsibility. I thank the BCCI for bestowing faith in me and I'm looking forward to justifying it,” Kuruvilla, whose 10 Test and 25 ODIs came in a 21-month span starting March 1996, said.

While this is a new responsibility for Sharma, who is now a noted commentator, Mohanty has been part of the junior selection committee. Having worked as a bowling coach in domestic cricket and with the National Cricket Academy, the former swinger who played two Tests and 45 ODIs from 1997 to 2001, will be looking forward to working in tandem with his contemporaries and seniors.