Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has called for a major reform in how the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appoints its cricket selectors. Speaking on his YouTube channel alongside former teammate Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahane emphasized that the country needs selectors who have a modern approach and are in tune with the game’s rapid evolution.
Ajinkya Rahane’s last international appearance came against the West Indies in a Test match at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 2023. Since then, the former India vice-captain has been vocal about improving domestic cricket structures. Rahane believes that the criteria for choosing selectors, particularly at the state level, should evolve to better reflect the current demands of competitive cricket.
Current Rules
Currently, a player who has participated in at least 10 first-class matches can apply to become a state selector, provided they retired a minimum of five years ago. Rahane feels this system needs to be refreshed. He suggested that selectors should ideally be cricketers who have only recently stepped away from the professional game, as they possess first-hand understanding of how cricket has transformed.
“Players should not be scared of selectors. I want to talk about selectors, especially in domestic cricket. We should have selectors who have retired recently from playing top-flight cricket, those who have retired five-six years, seven-eight years ago,” Rahane said. He further added, “Because the way cricket is evolving, I think it’s very important that the mentality and mindset of the selectors match that and keep pace with the change. The game is evolving.”
Rahane stressed that selectors’ decisions must be informed by the modern style of play rather than by standards from decades past. “We don’t want to make decisions based on how cricket was played 20-30 years ago. With formats like T20 and the IPL, it’s important to understand the style of modern cricket players,” he noted. According to him, selectors from all states should be proactive and ensure players can perform freely, focusing on “playing fearless cricket.”
Indian Legend
Ajinkya Rahane has been a vital figure in Indian cricket, representing the country in 85 Tests and accumulating 5077 runs with 12 centuries and 26 half-centuries at an average of 38.46. He also served as captain during crucial junctures, most notably leading India to a historic Test series win in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when several senior players, including Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami, were unavailable. His latest Test appearance was in 2023 against the West Indies