National selection panel: Abey Kuruvilla throws his hat into the ring

Mumbai: Former India and Mumbai speedster Abey Kuruvilla is in the fray to fill one of the three three vacant positions in the national selection panel.

The vacancies were created after terms of Sarandeep Singh (North Zone), Devang Gandhi (East) and Jatin Paranjape (West) ended.

It is understood that Kuruvilla, who has played 10 Test matches and 25 ODIs, applied for the job on November 13, two days before the deadline.

He took 25 wickets each in Tests as well as ODIs.

Kuruvilla was in the junior selection panel from 2008-12 and headed it when India won the U-19 World Cup in 2012. In the same year, he was named as the chief selector for Mumbai.

But the Navi Mumbai-based 53-year-old will have to face stiff competition from former India and Mumbai pacer Ajit Agarkar, who is seen as the front-runner for the role.

Agarkar has also served as Mumbai's chief selector.

The selectors have to be chosen by the Madan Lal-led Cricket Advisory Committee, also comprising R P Singh and Sulakshana Naik.

The committee earlier in March this year had chosen Sunil Joshi (South Zone) and Harvinder Singh (Central Zone) as the members of the five-member panel.