Credibility of shortlisted names for DDCA coaching course under scanner

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) shortlisted 35 names (men and women included) for the Level A coaching course. But some of those names have zero or no experience of playing senior level representative cricket

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA)’s shortlist of aspiring Level A coaches has raised quite a few eyebrows with a few without any experience of playing senior level representative cricket being given preference over players, who have had more than 100 first-class wickets.

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) had invited applications from former players interested in coaching for their Level A programme, which will cost Rs 10,000 (ten thousand) per player. (HT Photo)

The DDCA had invited applications from former players interested in coaching for their Level A programme, which will cost Rs 10,000 (ten thousand) per player.

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Accordingly, on March 1, the DDCA shortlisted 35 names (men and women included) for the course.

While the likes of Rishit Saini (1 first-class game), Oniel Wilson (2 first-class games), Karan Harit and Darshan Kajania (both in senior squad but never played a match) have been included in the list, someone like Chetenya Nanda (105 wickets in 31 first-class games) have been ignored.

Even a player called Shashi Ranjan (2 first-class and five List A for Rajasthan) have been included while Nanda, who has played Challenger Trophy and also IPL (for Mumbai Indians) has been ignored because he is a current BCCI employee.

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“Credibility or quality of most of the male cricketers in the list save Robin Singh Junior (1 Test and 45 first-class matches) and Mayank Siddhana (30 first-class matches for Punjab) can be questioned. While this is a coaching course, don’t think Nanda should have been kept out of the list. This is a course where one needs to pay to study, so it shouldn’t have mattered if he is a BCCI employee or not. Even Robin Junior is drawing salary from DDCA as a selector,” a senior DDCA official said.

None of the CAC members were available for a comment.