In February of this year, Chetan Sharma stepped down from his position as BCCI chief selector amid row over alleged comments in a sting operation.

Since then, the BCCI is operating with an interim chief selector in place, with Shiv Sunder Das being assisted by S Sharath, Subroto Banerjee and Salil Ankola.

There was a time when former captains like Dilip Vengsarkar (2006-2008) and K Srikkanth (2008-2012) played the role of a chairman of the selection committee, but according to a PTI report, the low salary is holding back big names from taking up the selectors’ job.

The report claims that the BCCI’s chief selector earns ₹1 crore annually whereas the other four members of the selection panel are paid ₹90 lakh per annum.

The remuneration is nowhere near what the top cricketers earned during their playing days from BCCI and other income sources such as endorsements and cricket academies.

As a result, high-profile names such as Virender Sehwag have refrained from applying for the chief selector’s role despite being eligible.

“During CoA’s time, Viru (Sehwag) was asked to apply for head coach’s job and then it went to Anil Kumble. It is unlikely he will apply himself and also the pay package isn’t something that will be financially viable for someone of his stature," a BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI.

“But if we talk about stature, only he makes the cut from North Zone," he added.

The source also stated that BCCI might increase the salary for the selectors’ job to attract some of the big names in Indian cricket.

“It is not that BCCI can’t pay a chairman of selectors at least ₹4-5 crore. It can actually solve a lot of these conflict of interest issues which prevent prominent players from even thinking of coming into selection committee," he said.

The report further suggested that low-profile names find it difficult to stand their ground when they sit for a selection meeting with the captain and the coach.

“When Dilip bhai was chairman, he had to make a choice between S Badrinath and Virat Kohli. He saw a few India A games in Australia and he knew whom to back. Rest is history. He could stand his ground in front of Greg Chappell before that," the official remarked.

(With PTI Inputs)