Neetu David, one of India’s finest woman cricketers in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, has been appointed chairman of the women’s selection committee replacing Hemalata Kala, the BCCI announced on Saturday. The other members of the panel are Mithu Mukherjee, Renu Margrate, Arati Vaidya and V Kalpana - all former India players.The four-year term of the previous panel, led by Kala, ended in March 2020. It had Sudha Shah, Anjali Pendharkar, Shashi Gupta and Lopamudra Banerjee as other members. Their last assignment was selecting the team for the women’s World T20 in Australia, where India ended runners-up.
David holds the world record for best bowling figures in an innings in a Test - 8/53 against England in Jamshedpur in 1995. “On account of seniority, Neetu David, the former left-arm spinner, will head the five-member committee,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement. “She is also the second-highest wicket-taker for India in WODIs with 141 scalps and was also the first from India to take 100 WODI wickets.”David, who was India’s highest wicket-taker in WODIS before Jhulan Goswami surpassed her, was the top contender. She took 141 wickets in 97 games. David played 10 Tests in which she had taken 41 wickets. She retired from international cricket in 2008.
