Bengaluru, April 3: The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday (April 3) confirmed that former India off-spinner Aashish Kapoor will replace former fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad in the three-member All-India Junior Selection Committee. Reports earlier indicated that Kapoor was likely to take over Prasad's role after the Karnataka bowler resigned from the committee on March 2.
Prasad, a veteran of 58 Tests for India, was in-charge of selecting the side for the 2018 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. India eventually won the tournament and barely one month into the victory, Prasad confirmed his resignation to the BCCI. The 48-year-old Prasad, a former Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling coach, said he wanted to get into coaching again and quit the post to avoid any potential conflict of interest that would arise from his new role. Prasad eventually joined Kings XI Punjab as the bowling coach, two days after his resignation.
Another report said Prasad was upset over not being considered for the post of GM (cricket operations) after the resignation of MV Sridhar. The post eventually went to former wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim.
Although Kapoor's recruitment had to be announced earlier, the BCCI confirmed his appointment a month after Prasad's resignation. The other two members of the selection panel are Gyanendra Pandey and Rakesh Parikh.
CK Khanna, acting president of the BCCI, congratulated Kapoor in a statement, saying: "I wish him all the very best for this endeavour. I am sure he has a lot to offer when it comes to being a part of the junior selection committee with his varied expertise and experience in the game. India have a rich talent pool and it is important to identify the talent at a young age and nurture them."
Aashish Kapoor Part of Junior Selection Committee he will replace Venkatesh Prasad..Conflict of Interest Issue will bring many such gems from DOM Cricket 😕
— Amit Bhilwade (@ab619cricket) April 3, 2018
Kapoor played four Tests and 17 ODIs for India, including the 1996 ICC World Cup. He has also played 128 first-class games and 93 List A matches.
Kapoor, along with Punjab batsman Amit Sharma, was part of a five-member junior selection panel which was pruned to three as per Lodha Committee recommendations.
Kapoor and Sharma were made to quit the panel as they were appointed in 2016, while Prasad and the other two were in the committee since 2015.