Though the panel was removed, they continued to select the India men’s national teams for the limited-overs series in New Zealand, the ODI and Test tour of Bangladesh and then the ongoing limited-overs series at home against Sri Lanka in the absence of a new committee. It was understood that the panel, led by Chetan, had been given an extension until the end of 2022 and, along with picking the national squads, had also been tasked with tracking the Ranji Trophy matches till the end of the year.
Indications were that Chetan Sharma would continue
The term for the selection panel is typically four years, but they are up for renewal every year.
The CAC, meanwhile, was put in place on January 1 to interview the applicants, prepare a shortlist of candidates, and send the BCCI its recommendations, on the basis of which the five-member panel has now been put in place.
The latest panel has a combined experienced of 48 Test matches and 95 ODIs. Chetan and Das have both played 23 Tests each, while Ankola and Banerjee played one each. Chetan also played 65 ODIs; Ankola, Banerjee and Das played 20, six and four apiece. Sharath, a domestic great who played 139 first-class matches and scored 8700 runs in the format at an average of 51.17, never played for India.
Sharath, however, was the chairman of the junior men’s selection committee till recently, and it’s an elevation of sorts for him after his panel chose the India squad that went on to win the Under-19 World Cup in February last year.
Ankola, the former fast bowler, was also a selector, heading the Mumbai selection committee till the new appointment, while Das and Banerjee were involved in coaching. Das is the only member of the selection panel to have any T20 playing experience, having played three games in October 2011.
