On Saturday, Chetan Sharma was reinstated as chairman of India’s senior selection committee, two months after the entire panel was disbanded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to the Indian team’s loss in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
Sharma’s new selection committee will consist of entirely new members, including S Sharath from the South Zone as the junior chairman of selectors, former seamer Subroto Banerjee from the East Zone, Salil Ankola from the West Zone, and Test opener Shiv Sunder Das from the Central Zone.
Das was eligible to represent the Central Zone due to his previous membership with the Vidarbha team after playing for Odisha. The decision to include Das was due to a lack of suitable candidates in the Central and East Zones.
The West Zone was unrepresented for a year in the previous panel after Abbey Kuruvilla completed his combined five years as a junior and senior selector, becoming the General Manager. The selection committee’s main focus will be on Sharath, who has no India caps but is known for his talent scouting skills and extensive knowledge of the junior talent pool.
Banerjee, who was the bowling coach for the Ranji Trophy-winning Vidarbha team, applied for the position in the past but was unsuccessful. Ankola’s experience as chairman of selectors for the high-profile Mumbai first-class team also played a role in his inclusion in the committee.
The committee received 600 applications for the five available positions, and 11 individuals were selected for personal interviews before the final recommendations were made.
