India’s chief cricket selector resigns after undercover sting

Published February 17, 2023
Chetan Sharma.—@chetans1987/Twitter
Chetan Sharma.—@chetans1987/Twitter

India’s chief cricket selector Chetan Sharma resigned Friday, an offical told AFP, after a TV network sting caught him gossiping about players and claiming the widespread use of unsanctioned injections to pass fitness tests.

The 57-year-old had accused ex-captain Virat Kohli and former cricket board chief Sourav Ganguly of an ego clash in a candid conversation recorded on a hidden camera and aired by broadcaster Zee News.

Kohli felt he was “bigger than the board” but felt slighted after concluding that Ganguly had forced him out of the white-ball captaincy, Sharma said.

Sharma also claimed that doctors operating outside of the cricket board’s oversight regularly gave Indian international players injections to help them pass fitness tests for selection, without giving further details.

“He has given his resignation and it has been accepted,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Press Trust of India quoted an unnamed BCCI official who said Sharma’s position had “become untenable” after the sting.

“He resigned voluntarily and wasn’t asked to resign,” PTI reported the official as saying.

Sharma was appointed chief selector in late 2020 and was reappointed in January after the BCCI sacked the entire selection panel following India’s dismal T20 World Cup performance last year. The former right-arm medium pacer represented India internationally until 1994 and in 1987 he was the first cricketer to take a hat-trick in a Cricket World Cup.

His exit comes in a bumper year for the international calendar, with India likely to make the World Test Championship in July and hosting the ODI World Cup from November.

Opinion

Editorial

Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...
Tribunals’ failure
Updated 19 Nov, 2024

Tribunals’ failure

With election tribunals having failed to fulfil their purpose, it isn't surprising that Pakistan has not been able to stabilise.
Balochistan MPC
19 Nov, 2024

Balochistan MPC

WHILE immediate threats to law and order must be confronted by security forces, the long-term solution to...
Firm tax measures
19 Nov, 2024

Firm tax measures

FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is ready to employ force to make everyone and every sector in Pakistan pay their...