Cuttack: From a player to coach, former Indian seamer Debasish Mohanty has come a long way. The cricketer from Odisha has a challenging task at hand after he was inducted into the national junior selection panel.
Mohanty, who played 45 ODIs for India between 1997 and 2001, replaced former fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad after he resigned from his position as chief selector in March.
Mohanty who also played the 1999 World Cup in England said that he will really work hard to ensure that deserving candidates are not neglected.
Mohanty's elevation has certainly elicited hopes among budding players from Odisha who so far have not due recognition at the national level.
Sources said not a single player from the State after Debasish Mohanty, Shiv Sundar Das and Sanjay Raul got selected in junior or senior India team.
"Debasish is an international player and all eyes will now be on him as his responsibility has increased. I urge players from Odisha to do well as it will also help Debashish to do something for the talented players," said former Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) secretary, Ashirbad Behera.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) match referee, Prashant Mohapatra stated, "It is an honour for Odisha as BCCI picked Debasish Mohanty. Everybody is hopeful that Debasish can give due recognition and placement to deserving players from Odisha."
Senior coach Kishora Mania, on the other hand, stated that the selection in junior level will certainly be fair.