India’s chief selector, Chetan Sharma, has resigned from his position just 48 hours after a private news channel aired footage of him making several comments about Indian cricket players.
The sting operation by Zee News showed Sharma, a former India pacer, allegedly making bizarre comments about Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Sourav Ganguly and other Indian players.
Chetan Sharma resigns from his position as Chief Selector
The footage was released on Tuesday, February 14, and shows Sharma talking about various matters relating to the national team, including alleged issues between Kohli and Ganguly, and Jasprit Bumrah’s injury. However, it appears that Sharma was unaware he was being filmed clandestinely at the time.
In response to the controversy, a senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official has confirmed that Sharma’s position had become untenable and he had to go. His resignation was accepted by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, according to an ANI report.
BCCI Issue statement on Chetan Sharma’s resignatoin
“Yes, Chetan has tendered his resignation to BCCI secretary Jay Shah and his resignation has been accepted. His position had become untenable after the sting operation,” the official said. “He resigned voluntarily and wasn’t asked to resign.”
Sharma was reinstated as the chief selector in January after the entire selection panel was removed by the BCCI in November following India’s semi-final defeat in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
Fresh applications were invited and Sharma was once again appointed as chairman. However, his latest resignation leaves India’s selection panel comprising Salil Ankola, SS Das, Subroto Banerjee and S Sharath, with the BCCI yet to appoint a new chairman.
While the controversy surrounding Sharma’s comments has caused a stir in the Indian cricket community, it is yet to be seen what impact his resignation will have on the national team’s selection process.
As the BCCI continues to search for a new chairman, cricket fans will be watching closely to see who will take on the crucial role of chief selector for the country’s beloved sport.
