BCCI sack junior selector Ashish Kapoor despite meeting Lodha panel prescribed eligibility

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently decided to sack former India Test cricketer Ashish Kapoor from the junior team selection committee while retaining former first-class cricketer Rakesh Parikh. The move has raised several eyebrows as Parikh who has served various positions in the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) including- treasurer, joint Secretary, and vice president for the last 11 years and is disqualified as per the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.

Indian senior team selectors Jatin Paranjpe and Gagan Khoda were removed from their positions since they didn’t qualify the basic criteria prescribed by the Lodha panel. As per the recommendations all the senior team selectors should be Test cricketers the junior selectors should have at least played 50 first-class matches to be eligible.

Among the five members of the junior selection committee Rakesh Parikh and Amit Sharma have not played any recognised cricket whereas the third member is former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad who represented the team in 33 Tests along with 161 ODIs. He also featured in 123 first-class matches for his state team Karnataka. Aashish Kapoor and Gyanendra Pandey the other two selectors have played 4 Tests, 17 ODIs and 2 ODIs for India respectively.

Surprisingly along with Amit Sharma, Kapoor was also sacked despite meeting the eligibility. “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 was quoted in TOI.

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Parikh who is an influential figure in the administrative circles has been questioned by the members of the BCCI as well. In his defence he said, “Yes my tenure in administration is over as I had been office bearer for 11 years. I resigned from BCA in 2015 to become a selector. As far as why I have been retained, I won’t make any comments,”

A former BCCI official asked, “If we go by Lodha Committee’s latest FAQs, any disqualified office bearer cannot be a member of a committee/council, how can Parikh be included?”

“Also this is Parikh’s second term as junior national selector having served one term from 2006-08. So, in any case, he would have to be removed from his post in six months.

“How come he was preferred over a Test cricketer. Who in BCCI interpreted the rule that since graduation is minimum you can remove a masters degree holder. Is that an interpretation,” the official asked.