Cricketer turned actor Salil Ankola named in BCCI’s Selection Committee 

The Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) has finally announced the new selection committee after sacking the previous one. Former Chairman Chetan Sharma will continue to lead the new committee and will be accompanied by Salil Ankola, Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, and Sridharan Sharath.

While most of the selectors are prolific administrators, most of the cricketing fans are well averse to cricketer-turned-actor Salil Ankola. Ankola had featured for India in the 1990s and announced his retirement at a very tender age to pursue his dream to build a career in the entertainment industry.

Notably, Ankola achieved success in both domains and is a renowned actor as well as an established cricketer and administrator. Let’s know more about Ankola:

Salil Ankola Cricketing career

Salil Ankola made his domestic debut for the Mumbai team in the 1988-89 season and was soon named in India’s squad for a splendid bowling display. He made his debut alongside ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar against Pakistan in 1989. In his only test match of his career, Ankola scalped two wickets.

Salil was recalled in the Indian contingent for the ODI circuit in 1993. He had an astonishing display for India with the white ball and was also included in the 1996 World Cup squad. He had a fascinating stint at the World Cup and the cricketing season that followed. However, Ankola announced his retirement from professional cricket in 1998 at the mere age of 27.

Entertainment Industry Career

Salil Ankola was keen to establish himself in the entertainment industry. He soon started to build his career after retiring from cricket. Notably, Ankola also achieved his breakthrough in the film industry after he signed a film named Kurukshetra alongside glorious actor Sanjay Dutt. Ankola has also worked in various television series including Vikraal aur Gabraal, Shshhh… Koi Hai and Bigg Boss.

Back to Cricket 

After spending nearly two decades in the entertainment industry, Salil Ankola made a comeback in the cricketing setup. He was named as the Chief Selector of heavyweight Mumbai squad. Under his reign, Mumbai went on to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2021 and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2022. Mumbai also played the Ranji Trophy final in the 2021-22 season.

Noticing the tremendous success of Ankola, he was pitched in by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) as a selector in BCCI’s Committee representing the West Zone in the latest appointment.