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Some big changes are about to happen in the BCCI, and these two former cricketers can give a new direction to Indian cricket as new selectors.
Last month, the BCCI had invited applications for two selector posts, as Subroto Banerjee and S Sharath left their posts.
But the board did not get much response from the big cricketers.
According to the Indian Express report, “The board received a lukewarm response from well-known former international cricketers.”
That is, the big names did not show much interest. Still, RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha grabbed the opportunity and are at the forefront of the race to become selectors.
Purple Cap glory
RP Singh, who played 14 Tests, 58 ODIs and 10 T20s for India from 2005-11, and Pragyan Ojha, who has 24 Tests, 18 ODIs and 6 T20s to his name, both meet the BCCI criteria.
According to the rules, to become a selector, one needs experience of playing at least 7 Tests or 30 first-class matches, or 10 ODIs and 20 first-class matches. Also, the player should have completed 5 years of retirement.
RP Singh retired from cricket in 2018 and Ojha in 2020, so both fit in this race.
The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which includes Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik, will now interview these candidates.
A member of the CAC said, “We will shortlist the candidates and select the two most suitable ones.”
After this, the selected names will get the approval of the top officials of the BCCI. If everything goes well, these new selectors can take over their responsibilities from October.
Apart from this, some other names are also in discussion, like former Indian captain Praveen Kumar, Ashish Winston Zaidi of Uttar Pradesh and Shakti Singh of Himachal.
But the experience of RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha and their excellent record in IPL make them the strongest contenders.