Nayan Mongia wants BCCI to appoint him as a national selector

He may have missed out on a chance to become national selector owing to the return of the zonal system brought forward by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), but former India wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia remains keen to take up the role.

Nayan Mongia was speaking to senior cricket journalist Chandresh Narayanan, in a new series of interviews released on YouTube called Cow Corner Chronicles with Chandresh.

“I am not a so-called coaching person. I would like to be a selector. I can do a great job as a selector. I can do justice to the role of a selector. But coaching is not my cup of tea. That is what I think. I don't have that kind of patience. I don't have that kind of temperament,” said Nayan Mongia, who played 44 Tests in his career for India. He also coached Thailand National side for a brief while in 2004.

Mongia applied for the selector’s role earlier this year when the panel was to be rejigged. Eventually, the BCCI decided to revert to the traditional to a zonal system of selectors. Hence, Nayan Mongia, who hails from Baroda, was not considered as the West Zone representative Jatin Paranjape has time left in his tenure.

“I can see the player, know his potential. I can judge the player, whether he is lamba race ka ghoda or not. Whether he can be a player of the future. That much I can with my experience, with my cricketing ability. That kala for me is still there. I can become a good selector,” said Nayan Mongia as he expressed his keennes to be appointed as selector by the BCCI.

Will Nayan Mongia be appointed as the national selector by BCCI?

"BCCI should consider me for the role of national selector"

Mongia is keen to start afresh in cricket as a selector especially after his career ended abruptly. Mongia was dropped minutes before toss in the last Test at Chennai in 2001 against Australia in that historic series and did not play again for India. He is still searching for answers for that he says -

“It is still a mystery to me as to why I did not play that third Test in Chennai. I was told in the dressing room that you are playing. I was ready, when I was changing, just before the toss, Sourav (Ganguly) came and told me you are not playing. It really shocked me, Next day I took somebody else's ticket and flew to Mumbai, and went to Baroda to play Ranji Trophy against Tamil Nadu. I got a 80 and we won that match,” he recalled.

Mongia remembered another instance from the tour to Australia in 1999-2000 when he flew in as a stand-by keeper only to be benched. “I flew there (Australia). I almost reached on time. I was told that you are playing a Test match, but somehow I couldn't get a chance to play in the Test matches. It was going to be 31st December (1999). So I asked the management whether I can call my wife. Then they said, you are going back. Selectors said they wanted me to stay back, team management didn't want me to stay there. That was the story that I could gather. It was disappointing.”

Despite being bitter from his own experience as a player when selectorial manoeuvres ended his career, Mongia remains firm that he wants to look ahead afresh. “I was disappointed with how my career ended. Anyone will get disappointed. Everyone wants to end their career on a happy note. After playing so well, after doing well for your country, giving everything. But it is a professional life I take it in my stride. My career could have ended in a much better way than it ended," he added.

“I do still feel bitter about certain phases of my career. I have no regrets though. I am very happy that I played for the country. I gave my everything. I did from the bottom of my heart. I did it truly. So that's absolutely fine with me,” he added.