‘Phir hataya kyo tha’ – Fans slam Indian cricket board as Chetan Sharma gets reappointed as chief selector

The Indian cricket board led by former Indian cricketer Roger Binny sacked the entire selection committee led by Chetan Sharma. The board invited applications for the selector’s role and much to the surprise of the Indian fans, the ousted star was reappointed as the chief selector for team India. 

Fans, on the other hand, claimed that there was no meaning in ousting Chetan whatsoever and the board announced the new selection committee on January 7, Saturday. The board clarified that it received over 600 applications post advertising for the position and said that it shortlisted 11 members for the same. 

“The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Ms Sulakshana Naik, Mr Ashok Malhotra, and Mr Jatin Paranjape undertook an extensive process for selecting members of the All-India Senior Selection Committee. The Board received around 600 applications following its advertisement for the five posts issued on its official website on 18th November 2022,” the board said in the statement.

Fans dejected as Chetan Sharma returns as chief selector

“Upon due deliberation and careful consideration, the CAC shortlisted 11 individuals for personal interviews. Based on the interviews, the Committee has recommended the following candidates for the Senior Men’s National Selection Committee. 1) Chetan Sharma, 2) Shiv Sundar Das, 3) Subroto Banerjee, 4) Salil Ankola, 5) Sridharan Sharath. The committee further recommended Mr Chetan Sharma for the role of Chairman of the senior men’s selection committee,” read the statement further.

Post getting ousted, one of the members of the committee claimed that there was an outside influence in team selection and added that they were not able to select the desired players, according to plans. It remains to be seen if the new selection committee would sort things out ahead of the upcoming 50-over World Cup to be played in India in 2023.

India had a dismal outing in the 20-20 World Cup 2022 and they would look to set things right ahead of the approaching multinational tournament. If at all the Men in Blue fail to win the 50-over World Cup 2023, one has to agree that the selection committee might face pressure from the board and the fans as well. 

Here’s how fans reacted to Chetan Sharma being reappointed as the chief selector of the Indian cricket team: