CAC interviews 15 candidates for selectors’ posts

The two-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) interviewed 15 candidates for seven posts combined in the national senior men’s, senior women’s and junior men’s selection committees on Thursday.

The Hindu understands that former India batters Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape interviewed four candidates for the senior men’s, 10 for senior women’s and one candidate for the junior selector’s post through videoconferencing facility. Last month, the BCCI had sought applications for two, four and one post in the senior men’s, senior women’s and junior men’s categories, respectively.

Sulakshana Naik, who served on the CAC since December 2022 along with chairman Malhotra and Paranjape, resigned recently since she is an aspirant for the women’s selection panel.

While the BCCI has not made a formal comment or announcement, The Hindu confirmed that R.P. Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Amay Khurasiya were among the four men’s candidates interviewed. Singh and Ojha — the former pacer and spinner, respectively — are the front-runners to be inducted in place of S. Sharath and Subroto Banerjee.

Sharath, meanwhile, was interviewed for the junior selection committee panel, where he is set to replace Thilak Naidu as the chair of the panel ahead of the next year’s under-19 World Cup.

Besides Sulakshana, among the prominent candidates to have been interviewed included Jaya Sharma, Amita Sharma, Sravanthi Naidu, Smita Singh, Anagha Deshpande and Diana David.

The CAC will inform its recommendations to the BCCI office-bearers who will put it forward in the annual general meeting on September 28 for ratification.