Chetan Sharma, the Chief Selector of the Indian cricket team, has stepped down from his position following a sting operation by a television channel. At first, the BCCI believed that he was the subject of an unethical act of sting operation, but as time passed, Chetan’s continuation became untenable.
Chetan Sharma had been serving as the chief selector for the Indian men’s cricket team since December 2020, has resigned from his position following a sting operation by a television channel. The sting operation reportedly contained some shocking revelations, which prompted his decision to step down. According to Zee News, he made a never-before-heard comment that was revealed in the sting operation.
It was later found that his comments had caused a trust deficit with the Indian players, including current skippers Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. Chetan also made comments about former captain Virat Kohli and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
Chetan sent in his resignation from Kolkata while he was watching the Ranji Trophy final between Bengal and Saurashtra. He was seated with all four of his colleagues but was largely protected from any media persons on the ground. On Friday, he was not seen at Eden Gardens.
Among the slew of revelations that Chetan was seen making in the sting operation was that the Indian players were taking injections for fitness. This made the BCCI complicit in the unfair practice in which the players allegedly resort to accelerate their return to the national team despite not being fully fit.
His comments about the infamous saga over Kohli’s resignation did not go down well with the Indian players who were not prepared to share a selection committee meeting with the chief selector. Chetan was heard talking about the poor relationship between Kohli and Ganguly, the latter in particular, he said was against the former captain. He called their equation an ego clash and somewhere in the disclosures, caught on a secret camera, he also dropped the name of current captain Rohit Sharma.
Chetan was the lone survivor of the purge that the BCCI initiated following a none-too-impressive showing of the national team at the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia last year. The BCCI called for fresh applications and appointed four new selectors with Chetan, a former India bowler, retained as the chairman.
Chetan’s voluntary exit has made things simple for the BCCI, which otherwise would have had to be engaged in a long-winding disciplinary procedure starting with a show-cause notice, a temporary imposition of suspension, and then a formal hearing followed by a decision from the Ethics Officer
