BCCI appoints Sandeep Patil selection chief, drops Amarnath

In a surprise move, the Cricket Board today appointed former Test batsman Sandeep Patil as the chairman of the totally new-look senior selection committee while showing the exit door to Mohinder Amarnath, who was eligible to be reappointed.

The 56-year-old Patil's appointment to the hot seat by replacing another dashing batsman K Srikkanth came as bolt from the blue, as his name was not even being talked about as a possible candidate prior to the Board's 83rd Annual General Meeting, which finalised the panel here.

Roger Binny (South), Vikram Rathore (North), Saba Karim (East) and Rajinder Singh Hans (Central) comprise the rest of the new panel which had no place for Amarnath, the man of the match in the 1983 World Cup final which India won to create history. Amarnath has been dropped after just one year in his job.

Not willing to spell out the reason for the ouster of Amarnath, Board president N Srinivasan said the decision not to reappoint him cannot be discussed in public and added that the Board members wanted a new-look committee.

"The term of the selectors is for a maximum of four years but they have to be elected annually. It's the decision of the BCCI. One cannot go into the reasons (for not reappointing Amarnath). It's not a subject for public debate," Srinivasan told a press conference after the AGM.

"But the fact is I think BCCI wanted, if possible, a new look selection committee and that's what we have. The issue is not what is the credential of a X or Y. Basically it's a one year term extended upto a maximum of four years.

"It's not a fixed four-year term. The selectors are elected annually. But they can be there for a maximum of four terms. The selection committee is appointed by the Board and there is a process of consultation.

... contd.

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