BCCI Springs Surprise, Names India Star Who Played Just 2 T20Is Junior Selectors' Chairman

Parvinder Awana's appointment comes as a surprise after Dodda Ganesh emerged as the frontrunner.© AFP

Former India pacer Parvinder Awana was on Friday appointed chairman of the Indian men's junior cricket team's selection committee, contrary to recent media reports. The appointment comes after reports suggested that former India spinner Dodda Ganesh was the frontrunner to take charge of the junior men's selection panel. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) opted for Awana, a move that has come as a surprise given that several reports had linked Ganesh with the role.

The BCCI also appointed Krishna Das, Rakesh Patel and N. Arjun Yadav as members of the Committee.

"The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) conducted a selection process for the appointment of members to the Junior Cricket Committee. The CAC screened and interviewed applicants and, following the process, recommended the appointment of Parvinder Awana as Chairman, along with Krishna Das, Rakesh Patel and N. Arjun Yadav as members of the Committee," the BCCI said in a statement.

Awana, who played two T20Is for India, had a productive first-class career for Delhi, claiming 191 wickets in 62 matches. The former fast bowler turned out for Delhi, India A and Rest of India, and also played in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab, now known as Punjab Kings.

After hanging up his boots, Awana moved into coaching and has worked extensively in age-group cricket, with Delhi's U-16, U-19 and U-23 sides as well as the India U-19 team. He's also currently the Delhi senior men's bowling coach and it means that he will have to relinquish the role to become the new India junior men's chief selector.

He has also been involved in various high-performance programmes run by the BCCI and its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. That previous experience of working closely with young players is expected to be valuable in his new role.

Meanwhile, Das, a former fast bowler, represented Assam and Goa in domestic cricket and picked up 166 wickets in 49 first-class matches. He played for India U-19 and India A, and later served as bowling coach of the India U-19 side and of Uttarakhand's senior men's team.

Patel, who represented Gujarat and Baroda, also played for India A and featured in the Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Irani Trophy. He has coached both his former state sides across the U-19, U-23 and senior levels, and was head coach of the Baroda U-23 team in the 2025/26 season.

Yadav, who played 83 first-class matches, was a member of India's U-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2000 and also represented India A. After his playing days with Hyderabad, he took up coaching and served as head coach of the Hyderabad senior and U-23 teams. He has been a BCCI match referee since 2022.

Between them, the four members bring a mix of first-class experience and coaching know-how, with each having worked with junior or age-group sides in some capacity. Das and Yadav have both been part of the India U-19 men's set-up as players in the past.

The panel will be responsible for selecting India's junior men's teams, starting from the upcoming U-19 Men's Asia Cup, set to happen from November 5-14 in Al Amerat Cricket Grounds in Oman.

(With IANS Inputs)

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