Mumbai’s chief selector Raju wants better bench strength

Mumbai’s chief selector Raju Kulkarni

Mumbai's new senior chief selector Raju Kulkarni aims to build a good bench strength ahead for the upcoming domestic season.

Fast bowler Kulkarni, 60, who represented the country in three Tests and 10 ODIs, was on Tuesday appointed chairman of selectors for the senior and Mumbai U-23 team. Ravi Thakkar, Jitendra Thackeray, Sanjay Patil and Kiran Powar are in his committee.

Kulkarni warned players not to take their places for granted. "We [Mumbai] are slightly lacking in terms of bench strength and we need to build it. Bench strength will become strong only by increasing competitiveness, so nobody takes their place for granted. It will help us improve our level of performance," Kulkarni told mid-day on Tuesday.

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Mumbai Cricket Association's Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) headed by ex-India opener Lalchand Rajput with Sahil Kukreja and Preeti Dimri as members, met at MCA's Bandra-Kurla Complex academy on Tuesday to appoint selection committees for various Mumbai teams.

Mumbai's Rohit Sharma is leading India in all formats while Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Shreyas Iyer are part of the national scheme of things. Young players Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube are knocking on the doors of national selection even as Prithvi Shaw is dealing with the demons of poor form. Shams Mulani, Mumbai's lone ranger in the spin department from last season, could be considered for higher honours. However, the 41-time champions have not laid their hands on the Ranji Trophy since 2015-16 when Saurashtra were beaten by an innings and 21 runs at Pune.

When asked about his challenges as a chief selector, Kulkarni, who earned 232 scalps from 79 first-class games, said: "It will be a challenge as Mumbaikars are satisfied only with the Ranji Trophy title. We want nothing but the best, and that's why the expectations are very high. I am confident that with my colleagues [in the selection committee], we will pick the best team for Mumbai to produce top-class results," said Kulkarni, who made his Test debut against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in 1986.

Today, the CIC will interview coach candidates for various Mumbai teams.