The left-hander, who has played over 100 first-class matches and recorded nearly 9,000 carries, chaired the junior selection committee and was chief selector for Tamil Nadu.
Youth selection committee chairman Sridharan Sharath was promoted Saturday after being announced as one of five national picks.
The former Tamil Nadu batsman was a prolific player in domestic cricket and was also a BCCI match referee and Tamil Nadu chief his selector. As a junior committee chairman at the height of the pandemic, when his age group cricket program was affected, India won the 2022 ICC U-19 World Cup and he won the U-19 Asian Cup. bottom.
On the agenda for the future, Sharath said that although he has a roadmap for the future of the team, the new committee has yet to sit down and hold a meeting and will proceed step by step. The elegant left-hander has played over 100 first-class matches and scored almost 9,000 runs, but he is the only one of the five not to have a national cap.
What he lacks in international experience, Sharath makes up for in his understanding of the local ecosystem that has been built over the past decade.
“As a match referee, there is a TRDO column that provides information about the players we encounter and I have completed 49 first-class matches as a referee. Thank you for the recognition, it’s a continuation of what I’ve been doing over the past few years, from referee to youth committee to senior level,” added Sharas. The new body comes at a crucial time with the 50-over World Cup at home less than ten months away and another ICC World Test Championship Final likely later this year. The bigger challenge, however, is to start the transition process slowly, get some fresh blood on the team, and look ahead to his next three to four years. This is an area where former TN players can play an active role.
“I have a good relationship with VVS Laxman [Director of the National Cricket Academy] and have worked with him for the past year. There is a huge talent pool in the country. There are several players from the last group of U19s who are also active in the Ranji Trophy. So our job is to use it,” he added.
Regarding the issue of not being a national team player, Sharath explained: More importantly, it puts his history as a player on the back burner. Our job is to monitor, encourage and coach players as needed to help them develop as cricketers. I am very grateful to BCCI and TNCA for giving me this opportunity. It was also an emotional moment for his mother to see him selected after missing out on playing for his country,” said Sharath.