Sunil Joshi, Venkatesh Prasad top contenders for chief selector post

Sunil Joshi and Venkatesh Prasad

Former India teammates Sunil Joshi and Venkatesh Prasad have emerged the top contenders to replace MSK Prasad as chairman of the national selection committee.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Madan Lal, Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh, which met for the first time on Tuesday, shortlisted L Sivaramakrishnan, Joshi and
Prasad from South Zone, while Rajesh Chauhan and Harvinder Singh have been shortlisted from Central Zone to replace Gagan Khoda. MSK Prasad and Khoda's four-year terms have ended.

On Tuesday, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly made it clear that the new selection panel will pick the team for the South Africa ODI series that begins on March 12.

The CAC thus met to shortlist the candidates and discuss the interview process which they will follow today. Post the interviews, the CAC will announce the two new selectors.

With the shortlisting of candidates, the BCCI has decided to continue its policy of picking one selector from each zone.

Ajit Agarkar (26 Tests) and Nayan Mongia (44 Tests) were the other prominent contenders but they are not considered as they are from West Zone and Jatin Paranjpe is already on the selection panel from that region.

Ganguly recently had said that the candidate with most Test matches will be the new chief selector.

Going by that, Prasad has played 33 Tests, Joshi (15), Sivaramakrishnan (nine), Chauhan (21) and Harvinder (three).

It is learnt that each candidate will be asked "two to three" questions on Indian cricket.

If chosen, Prasad, who has been already been a junior national selector for two and a half years, can remain as senior national selector for another year and a half.

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