WTC Final 2023: India Squad WTC Final: Another ICC event and once again, BCCI Selection Committee will be a man down while selecting the squad. BCCI is in no rush to appoint a replacement for Chetan Sharma, who stepped down following a TV sting in February. With Shiv Sundar Das being the interim chairman of the selection committee, they will pick the squad for ICC World Test Championship Final next month. It should be noted that instead of a five-member team, four selectors picked the squad for Asia Cup and T20 World Cup last year. Follow India vs Australia World Test Championship Final LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
“We will take a call when the time’s right. There is no hurry. We have a settled Test squad. The existing selection committee is fully capable of selecting the squad. They are well aware of the injury problems and their replacements,” a BCCI source told InsideSport.
BCCI is supposed to submit the squad for WTC final by May 7 with May 22 is the deadline for final changes. However, with IPL 2023 in full swing, BCCI won’t be able to hire a selector on short notice. Instead, a replacement for Chetan Sharma will only arrive before the Asia Cup 2023.
Since T20 World Cup 2021, India have been forced to work with just four selectors It was only in January that BCCI refreshed the selection committee with Sharma in it. However, now that he has resigned, India cricket team is once again left with 4 members. The BCCI also needs to take a call on whether to recall shortlisted candidates or invite fresh applications.
“We should be getting a new man in by Asia Cup. Currently, sorting out the Media Rights and sponsorships are on high priority. In the meantime, the CAC will take a call on whether to call in new applications or recall some of the shortlisted candidates,” the BCCI official explained.
The Indian board received over 1000 applications. But not many were highly qualified. The big name who did not even make the shortlist was Venkatesh Prasad, former India pacer. He would have been the chief selector had he been selected but with a string of restrictions and a salary not enough to make up for it, it has been difficult to fill in those positions.
- Shiv Sundar Das (Tests: 23, ODIs: 4, T20s: 3)
- Subroto Banerjee (Tests: 1, ODIs: 6, First Class: 59)
- Salil Ankola (Tests: 1, ODIs: 20, First Class: 54)
- Sridharan Sharath (First Class: 139, List A: 116)
The current BCCI selection committee has a combined Test experience of 25 with Shiv Sundar Das playing 23 of them. Their combined international cricket experience is just 55 matches. Most of the current Indian cricketers have played over 100 international matches. Hence, BCCI needs an experienced candidate as a replacement for Chetan Sharma.
With T20 World Cup 2024 in sight, BCCI is likely to hire someone with experience of playing the game. Many in the board believe T20 needs a different approach and hence someone who has experience in playing the format needs to come on board.
Why is it difficult to find a selector?
- Even though BCCI received over 1000 applications, not many were highly qualified.
- The reason why established players stay out is because of the conflict of interest issue.
- A selector cannot be associated with commentary or IPL or run his own business or academy.
- With a salary of Rs 1 Cr for the chief selector and Rs 90 lakh for other selectors, not many are interested.
- IPL commentary stint pays more for three months. Other times, they can work as commentators in bilateral series.
Former India star spinner Harbhajan Singh said BCCI needs to hire someone as high in stature as the head coach. But the chief selector should also be paid the same as the head coach.
“A man with stature, one that has played the game quite often, will solve a lot of issues at the selector level. But why wouldn’t they take up the opportunity? I’ll give the example of Virender Sehwag. If you ask Virender Sehwag to become the chief selector, then the salary of that post needs to be analysed. I don’t know how much the chief selector in India earns, but if Sehwag is in commentary or in other businesses around cricket, then it’s likely he is earning more money. If you want Sehwag, a player with stature, for the chief selector’s job, then spending money has to be key,” Harbhajan told Indian Express.
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