Chetan Sharma appointed as India's chief selector; BCCI adds Kuruvilla & Mohanty to panel

Replacing Sunil Joshi, former Indian cricketer Chetan Sharma has been appointed as the Chairman of the Indian Selection Committee, the BCCI confirmed on Thursday. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising of Madan Lal, RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik met virtually on Thursday to add three members to the selection panel. Apart from Chetan Sharma, the CAC recommended Abey Kuruvilla and Debashish Mohanty as members of the selectors panel, which the BCCI has approved

The selection committee was previously led by Sunil Joshi, however, the CAC recommended Chetan Sharma as the new selector based on the level of seniority. 

"The committee further recommended Mr Chetan Sharma for the role of Chairman of the senior men’s selection committee based on seniority (total number of Test matches). The CAC will review the candidates after a one-year period and make the recommendations to the BCCI," interim Secretary Jay Shah said in a statement on Thursday evening. 

Chetan Sharma made his debut for India in 1984 against Pakistan and was a part of the squad that defeated England by 2-0 in 1986. He is the only India to bag 10 wickets in a Test in England and has his name etched in the Hall of Fame board at the Lords Cricket Ground. In 1987, Sharma became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in a World Cup. 

READ | Chetan Sharma Reveals His 'dream Come True' Debut Moment; What Made His Hat-trick Special

BCCI convenes 89th AGM 

In a significant development, the Board Cricket of Control India (BCCI) which convened its 89th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday has decided to include two new teams in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The two new franchises are expected to be Lucknow and Ahmedabad, with the latter likely to get the newly inaugurated Motera Stadium as its home, as per sources. With the inclusion of two new franchises, the IPL 2022 is also expected to witness 94 league matches instead of the usual 56-matches long season. 

READ | BCCI 89th AGM Approves 10-team IPL 2022; Lucknow & Ahmedabad Likely To Be 2 New Franchises

The BCCI has also decided to back the ICC's bid for the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympics after clarifications from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The board members which met in Ahmedabad on Thursday noon have also decided to 'suitably compensate' both men and women first-class players for the curtailed domestic season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In other decisions, veteran Congress leader Rajiv Shukla has officially anointed the Board's vice president in place of his protege Mahim Verma from Uttarakhand.  It was also learnt that the general body decided in favour of Sourav Ganguly continuing as a director in the ICC Board.

READ | Rahul Dravid Weighs In On Need For 9th Team In IPL, Says Tournament 'ready For Expansion'