Chetan Sharma appointed new chairman of selectors; Kuruvilla and Mohanty in panel

Bengaluru, Dec. 24: The BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed former India pacer Chetan Sharma as chairman of the senior national selection panel on Thursday.

The CAC, comprising Madan Lal, Rudra Pratap Singh and Sulakshana Naik o also picked Abbey Kuruvilla and Debashis Mohanty in the five-member team.

The new panel was formed on the sidelines of the BCCI's 89th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ahmedabad. The selection panel also has former India players Sunil Joshi and Harvinder Singh.

Sharma is a former player who represented India in 23 Tests and 65 ODIs during an 11-year-old international career, the highlight of which was his hat-trick in the 1987 World Cup.

At the age of 16, Sharma started playing first-class cricket for Haryana and made his Test debut aged 18, a year after making his ODI debut against the West Indies in December 1983.

"It's indeed a privilege for me to get an opportunity to serve Indian cricket once again. I am a man of few words and my action will speak louder than words," Sharma, who has a five-wicket haul at Lord's in a Test match, told PTI.

"I can only thank BCCI for this opportunity," the 54-year-old added.

As per the BCCI constitution, the candidate with the most Test caps becomes the chief selector.

The CAC will review the candidates after a one-year period and make the recommendations to the BCCI. The three new members will join Sunil Joshi and Harvinder Singh in the selection committee.

(With inputs from BCCI & PTI)