It is not just the players who are behind any team’s success. Right from the support staff to several other persons, they all ensure the efficient running of a team. Amongst these several other persons are the selectors whose contributions generally go unnoticed. Scouting the right kind of talent, ensuring the balance in a squad, covering up several bases – they do it all.

Usually, successful teams have an efficient selection committee working behind the scenes day in and day out. These brains coordinate with the captain, support staff at times and assure that everything falls in place. While the current selection committee spearheaded by MSK Prasad has done a wonderful job, there are a few other former cricketers as well who are ready to take up the role of a selector at any point in time. These are some of the most wonderful brains in the sport and can do a fabulous job if given the opportunity.

Here are five players who can be a selector for Team India:

1. Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Who better than Anil Kumble for an administrative role in Indian cricket? Ever since his retirement, the former leg-spinner has served the sport in various capacities. He is a great analyst and thinker of the game. Moreover, he is someone who can instill great amounts of confidence in a player.

For instance, there was a situation when he was the captain of the team when he gave assurance to Virender Sehwag that he’d be a part of the squad for the next two series irrespective of the way he plays. As a youngster, no other cricketer would get any bigger assurance and morale boost than events like these. It drives them to perform better for the team without taking any additional pressure.

Anil Kumble identifies the talent really well. Furthermore, he has worked as the Head Coach of this team not so long ago and knows the players quite well. With him being a selector, India might even unearth some of the best and just the thought of him being in the role in quite exciting.

2. Pravin Amre

Pravin Amre. (Photo by Gireesh Gv/The India Today Group/Getty Images)

Ramakant Archrekar, who happens to be the childhood coach of the great Sachin Tendulkar, once claimed that Pravin Amre would be an even better batsman than the Master Blaster. However, things really haven’t panned out that way for Amre in his eight-year-long international career. He represented India in 11 Tests and 37 ODIs but didn’t have a great time.

Yet, post his retirement, Pravin Amre crafted his career into being a wonderful coach. He has nurtured some of the finest talents in the country including the likes of Ajinkya Rahane. The 51-year-old is one of the very few batsmen who scored a Test century on debut while playing on foreign soil.

Amre, over the years, has worked with several domestic, IPL and international teams. He is currently the talent scout for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL and has identified some great players for the franchise. Pravin Amre will definitely make a great selector for Team India given his exposure to domestic cricket in the country.

3. Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly. (Photo: IANS)

Another name that pops up as a potential selector for the future is Sourav Ganguly, a.k.a Dada. The Bengal cricketer, during his tenure as captain, has taken the team to new heights. Under his able leadership and guidance, India registered some of the most memorable wins including the NatWest series and the Test series win against Australia.

Ganguly is technically quite strong and is someone who can analyse the weaknesses and strengths of a player quite well. The likes of Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag amongst many others blossomed under him. He gave those players a lot of backing and helped build a team for the future.

Dada, clearly, is a great visionary and knows what will work and what won’t. He did a good job with the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2019 as well and helped pick the right set of combinations. As the selector, it would be great to have Sourav Ganguly – someone who can develop a team for the future as well as keep the present requirements in mind.

4. Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar. (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

A lean fast bowler who possibly didn’t send shivers down the spines of the batsmen with his build but with his ability to swing the ball both ways, Ajit Agarkar, was a great servant for Indian cricket. Because of his clean bowling action, he could hit good speeds as well as reverse swing the ball. He represented India in 26 Tests and 191 ODIs and is greatly experienced.

The pacer has also exhibited some terrific leadership skills when he guided Mumbai to their 40th Ranji Trophy win in 2013. Post his retirement, Agarkar has had a great stint as a cricket analyst. He has also closely worked with some of the young players in the country.

The 41-year-old is a great candidate to be one of the selectors for Team India in the times to come. His experience of working as the chief selector of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) comes quite handy and makes him an apt person for the job.

5. VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman. (Photo Source: CricTracker)

Some of you might feel that VVS Laxman might not be the right kind of person for the role of a selector. He went about his work quite silently during his playing days and in the process, also broke many records. Batting lower down the order in Tests, it was a delight to watch him bat with the tail and bring those subtle wrists into play.

Yet, he was no slouch in ODI cricket and was good in this format as well. After his retirement, VVS Laxman has taken up many different roles. The most prominent of all is his work with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as the mentor of the team.

Ever since their arrival in the IPL, SRH has been quite a successful side. Laxman has got a good share of this credit because of his ability to identify the best players and balance the squad really well. If you look at the IPL auctions in the last few years, SRH has been one of the best at the table and there is clearly a VVS Laxman-factor in there. He has proven his potential quite a few times already and should be a great pick for the job.