Jaipur: With a packed domestic season fast approaching, Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) finds itself in a race against time to assemble its squads. A quick succession of four major BCCI domestic tournaments starting in October has pushed selection matters to the forefront.The action begins on Oct 8 with the Boys Under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy, followed closely by the Women’s Under-19 T2o Trophy starting on Oct 9. The marquee Ranji Trophy gets underway on Oct 11, and the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy rounds out the lineup when it begins on October 12.Insiders share that Bhaskar A Sawant, appointed by the high court as the sole administrator to manage the state cricket affairs, is sticking with the selection panel formed by the last ad hoc committee. Forming new committees would require an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be convened, which is deemed too demanding a task given that preparations for the upcoming elections must also be attended to.“The five-member panel formed by the last ad hoc committee will be the sole authority to pick the squad. The selectors are scheduled to meet on Thursday to finalise the Ranji Trophy probable list,” a source informed.The senior men’s selection committee formed in June is led by chairperson Vijendra Yadav and includes panel members Zakir Hussain, Shamsher Singh, Pranay Sharma and Afroz Khan.Another source added, “Some players are concerned about how the selection process will unfold because this committee wasn’t formed when the league matches of the Colvin Shield Trophy were going on. Will the five observers from that time be consulted?”Oversight during the Colvin Shield was managed by observers Siddharth Joshi, Ankit Lamba, Abhijeet Sharma, Rajiv Rathore, Pranay Sharma, Kishan Choudhary and Sumit Mathur.Meanwhile, Under-19 Dungarpur Shield will begin on Aug 22.
