Former Odisha & India Pacer Debashish Mohanty Named National Selector; Chetan Sharma To Head Panel

Mumbai: Former Odisha and Team India pacer Debashish Mohanty was on Thursday picked as a member of BCCI’s senior selection committee.

The Madan Lal-led Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) named two other former India fast bowlers Chetan Sharma and Abbey Kuruvilla as new selectors. Chetan Sharma will be chairman of the selection committee.

The trio will join Sunil Joshi and Harvinder Singh to make up the five-member senior selection committee.

Mohanty played 2 Test matches and 45 ODIs for India between 1997 and 2001. He bagged 57 wickets in ODIs and 4 in Tests, all of which came in one innings.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Mr Madan Lal, Mr Rudra Pratap Singh and Ms Sulakshana Naik met virtually to select three members of the All-India Senior Selection Committee (Men).

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 24, 2020

The CAC recommended Chetan Sharma for the role of chairman of the selection committee because of his seniority (total number of Test matches). The 54-year-old Chetan played 23 Tests and 65 ODIs for India, capturing 61 and 67 wickets, respectively.

The BCCI made the announcement after its Annual General Meeting in Ahmedabad.

The CAC will review the candidates after a one-year period and convey its recommendations to the BCCI.

Another former Odisha and India cricketer Shiv Sunder Das, an opening batsman, was among 11 shortlisted candidates to fill up the three vacancies in the selection committee.

They were interviewed in virtual mode by CAC members Madan Lal, Rudra Pratap Singh and Sulakshan Naik.

The new committee’s first assignment will be to select the Indian squad for the home series against England, who will tour India in February-March.