Salil Ankola is new Mumbai chief selector, coach to be named shortly: MCA

MUMBAI: Former India fast bowler Salil Ankola, who played one Test and 20 ODIs in the 80s and 90s, on Wednesday was named by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) as the new Mumbai chief selector for the forthcoming curtailed domestic season.
The other members of Ankola's committee are Sanjay Patil, Ravindra Thaker, Zulfiqar Parkar and Ravi Kulkarni. Curiously, with just 24 days to go before the Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (set to begin from January 10), the MCA, in a release, said that it would announce the name of the coach shortly.
Like many other Mumbai pacers of his generation, Ankola, 52, was a product of the BCA-Mafatlal Fast Bowling Scheme, where he was coached by English bowling great Frank Tyson.Interestingly, the only Test he played, in 1989 against Pakistan at Karachi, was batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s debut Test too.
After taking two Test wickets, 13 ODI scalps, and featuring in 54 first-class matches in which he took 181 wickets, with best figures of 6-47, Ankola retired at the age of just 28 to pursue a career as an actor, and appeared in several TV serials and films.
"I have been thinking of making a come back since the last 5 years and in the past one year I have spoken to a lot of my friends seriously with the wish to come back and do something in Cricket as it's been my first love and more importantly for Mumbai Cricket, my home association. I wanted us to do well in the Ranji Trophy because in the last two years we haven't performed in the domestic tournaments so it was one of my dreams to come back and help Mumbai Cricket get back its lost glory," Ankola told TOI.
"Honestly I would have accepted any kind of role in Mumbai Cricket, whether of an Assistant Coach, Coach or of a Selector- I just wanted to be part of it with a meaningful contribution and give back to the game and the state, both of which has given me so much," he said.
"It's a great thing that the Association has given me such an honour and a big job and responsibility of being the chairman of selectors and a job of making a team for the future. We have a great bunch of players and I am confident we will definitely do well."
"Am very happy and grateful for being chosen for this job. It's like fulfilling my dream of coming back to cricket. I left cricket at a very early age of 28, abruptly because of injuries but I wanted to come back but in between I had to take up acting assignments because I had to support my family but now I was determined for the come back and with the support of my wife Rhea and my family my dream has come true. I will do my very best for keeping up this dream alive and contribute meaningfully for Mumbai Cricket," he added.
The selection committee was picked by the MCA's Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC), which is headed by former India opener Lalchand Rajput. "Ankola is a former India player who wanted to give something back to the game, which is why applied for the job and showed keen interest. Our committee made him the chief selector because we felt that he was the only former Test cricketer amongst the applicants.
"With this move, we have given a strong signal that we want more Test players to serve Mumbai cricket. Former cricketers who want to serve Mumbai cricket will be welcomed to do so by this committee. They will be respected and be given the opportunity to serve Mumbai cricket in various capacities," Rajput told TOI.