Odisha Players Need To Perform, Will See No Injustice Is Done: Debasish Mohanty

Bhubaneswar: Despite only a handful of names from Odisha making their way into the Indian cricket team till date and probably the most successful of them, Debasish Mohanty, who was recently appointed as the selector to the national cricket team, on Friday stated that there is no dearth of talent in the State.

Only few players including Debasish Mohanty himself, SS Das and Sanjay Raul from Odisha have played matches for team India.

While talking to reporters, Mohanty said that his role as a selector will be to see that deserving players are not neglected.

To a question whether Odisha players will be able to grab the attention of selectors, Mohanty said, “Everything depends on the performance of players. But I will ensure that no injustice is done in selection.”

"As selection for Indian cricket team, we need to take appropriate decisions at the right time. I will first know about the team’s goal and then accordingly all the members in the selection panel will get to work, said Mohanty.

The former pacer expressed that even though only some players from Odisha had represented in the country in the past, "I personally feel that there is lot of potential in the players from the State. Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) had recently given them a big platform by organizing mega tournament during COVID-19 time,” he said.

On Thursday, the (BCCI) named former cricketers Chetan Sharma, Abbey Kuruvilla, and Debasis Mohanty as the new national selectors along with two other members.

Mohanty, a former India seamer from Odisha, was serving as junior national selector for the last two years. He will remain in the committee for another couple of years. The selection panel also comprises former India players Sunil Joshi (south zone) and Harvinder Singh (central zone).

Revealing his plans, Mohanty said that his main focus will be on picking players from the Ranji trophy. The ones who will perform better will be selected for Duleep Trophy and subsequently for the India A, he added.

From a player to coach and a national selector, Mohanty’s journey has not been less than a roller coaster ride. However, he has proved his mettle in all the positions he held in the past.

(Edited By Suryakant Jena)