Ashish Kapoor’s ouster from junior selection panel raises eyebrows

The BCCI’s decision to remove former India Test player Ashish Kapoor from the junior selection panel and retain former first-class cricketer Rakesh Parikh has raised eyebrows.

It was also learnt that Parikh is already a disqualified office bearer having completed 11 years in various capacities as treasurer, joint Secretary, vice president of Baroda Cricket Association. The Lodha Panel has made it mandatory that both senior and junior panel will comprise three selectors.

While Jatin Paranjpe and Gagan Khoda were sacked from the senior panel for not being Test cricketers, the junior panel norm required everyone to play 50 first-class matches, a criteria fulfilled by all five. But Rakesh Parikh and Amit Sharma never played for India in any format. 

Venkatesh Prasad has played 33 Tests apart from 100 plus ODIs, while Kapoor was the only other Test player with 4 Tests and 17 ODIs. Gyanendra Pandey had played 2 ODIs.

However, when it came to pruning the list, along with Sharma, it was Kapoor who was shown the door.

“BCCI GM (Game Development) Ratnakar Shetty sent an email where it was explained to Kapoor and Sharma that the three retained were the ones who were picked as selectors in 2015 AGM. 

Accordingly, Venkatesh Prasad, Parikh and Gyanendra were retained,” a senior BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.