Sarandeep Singh, a former off-spinner for India and current national selector, will lead Delhi’s senior team in the forthcoming domestic season as head coach.
The three-person state unit Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed him.
Both batting coach Bantu Singh and bowling coach V Aravind, who both stayed on from the previous year, will help Sarandeep.
The senior men’s squad will have two mentors, Atul Wassan for white ball and Robin Singh Junior for red ball, in a new role established by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). The women’s team will have Reema Malhotra as their mentor.
Due to personal reasons, last year’s coach Devang Gandhi, who left a lasting impression on the team’s seniors and juniors, would not be available this season. Gandhi did not apply for the position of coach.
It is said that Sarandeep and former Delhi coach KP Bhaskar were the two candidates the CAC, which is made up of former India players Surinder Khanna, Nikhil Chopra, and Anjali Malhotra, chose for the top position.
Sarandeep has been nominated by the apex council to be the head coach. When Devang took over as coach last year, his name was also there. The other candidate was Bhaskar, but he will serve as one of three selectors, a top DDCA official said to PTI under anonymity.
Under MSK Prasad, the 44-year-old Sarandeep served as a national selector from the North Zone and was a player for India in three Tests and five ODIs between 2000 and 2003.
Although his qualifications as a senior level coach are unclear, it is known that he has prior experience managing institutional teams.
Gursharan Singh, the lone Ranji Trophy-winning captain of Punjab and a former India batter, has been suggested for the position of chairman of the selection committee.
The BCCI maintains a 60-year-old cutoff age for national selectors; however, state cricket does not follow this regulation. Gursharan, who is 61 years old, has always been a part of the DDCA system, having held positions as a junior coach, senior selector, and occasionally as a member of the CAC.
It is anticipated that, should the CAC’s proposal be followed, Bhaskar and former Delhi keeper-batter Rajiv Vinayak will be the other two selectors.
“While DDCA president Rohan Jaitley has never interfered in any cricketing matters, giving free hand to sub-committees, his opinion on the issue will certainly hold a lot of value,” said a source.
An “observer” who is a nominee for the CAC will be assigned by the senior selection committee to supervise the selection procedure.
