Former Tamil Nadu batsman S Sharath’s five-year tenure as chairman of the junior selection committee — sandwiching three years as senior selector — ended on October 23, 2026. The Indian team won two Under-19 World Cups when he chaired the junior panel, while the senior men’s team won a T20 World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, two Asia Cups and an Asian Games gold when he was a selector. In an interview to The Indian Express, Sharath spoke about the major decisions during his tenure and their outcomes.It was a satisfying tenure, before I start I would like to thank a few people, who have understood me and gave me the space and freedom to work. Right from N Srinivasan sir, Kasi Viswanathan sir and then in BCCI — Jay Shah Bhai.When I took over in September 2021, there was COVID. First, Rahul Dravid was at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) and then VVS Laxman. Since I’ve a good rapport with them, with the Under-19 World Cup (2022) coming up, we understood how to go about it. Because of Covid, we didn’t have enough matches to watch. But between October and December, we had camps, monitored the players in Ahmedabad, and assembled a squad. We started by losing a tri-series in Bangladesh, but ended up winning the U19 Asia Cup and the World Cup in the Caribbean.How did you fit into the senior selection panel after that?In junior cricket, it is a two-year cycle with an eye on the (Under-19) World Cup. With the senior team, the target is winning ICC tournaments. The experience of being a match referee for 10 years and my first year in the junior committee came handy. I was constantly watching games, so it helped me know the players. With Ajit Agarkar as chairman, we had a good team of selectors. We would agree to disagree and still get along. We were runners-up in two successive World Test Championship cycles, won two T20 World Cups, two Asia Cups, a Champions Trophy and made the final of the World Cup. We had healthy discussions. Our aim was to make India champions across formats. Rohit Sharma’s influence as captain can’t be overlooked. He and Dravid (coach) were key figures. Rohit as a leader was outstanding because he backed us. It was good to see the aggressive brand of cricket that the team played.ALSO READ | Pragyan Ojha, the new chairman of selectors, has a tough act to followHow was it working with Rohit?You will come across great players, but in terms of taking care of players individually and putting the team’s interest first, Rohit was outstanding. He treated everyone equally. He wanted to ensure that those who were not playing were also taken utmost care of because you never know when an opportunity would come by. So any player would like to play under Rohit. To create a winning team, you need to have a fantastic team environment.How did you handle disagreements?Story continues below this adThere were debates about who fits the role based on the country you are playing in and the conditions. The composition of the team is more important than individuals. When you weigh the pros and cons, there will be debates. If not, we are not doing our job properly. Rational thinking is the perfect way to find solutions, which is why results followed. Sharath’s five-year tenure as chairman of the junior selection committee ended on October 23, 2026. (Special Arrangement)During your tenure, Suryakumar Yadav was chosen over Hardik Pandya as T20I captain…The team was not short on leaders. You had Rohit, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja. Suryakumar is a great character and a good team man. We thought he would seamlessly take over from Rohit. And he did a terrific job, didn’t lose a single T20 series. Hardik was also a leader. The credit should go to Ajit for making the right call. He took that bold decision. When we pick a team, we have to name a captain. But in our view, we had 4-5 leaders in the team. Ultimately in both the T20 World Cups, Hardik’s contribution was immense. Even Surya, the catch in the (2024) final, and the impact he had as a captain at a home World Cup, was outstanding.Immediately after winning the Champions Trophy, you removed Rohit as ODI captain. How was the conversation with him?Story continues below this adThe chairman, along with the team, had that conversation. We wanted to groom youngsters for the leadership role when seniors are still around so there is no vacuum. Rohit is playing under Shubman (Gill), but he is still a leader in the team. Same with Virat. That is what makes them both special and respected. Their presence still matters to the team and that’s the way the youngsters will learn. You can’t remove them totally.There is a perception that only IPL performances matter when it comes to selection…It is a wrong perception. We look at overall cricket and cannot overlook domestic performances. As much as making a note of the contribution to state teams, we also have to see what they do in the IPL against world-class players in a high-pressure environment. A selection is never about one tournament or one performance.How do you see the red-ball pool coming up?We have a good pool of fast bowlers emerging. From junior cricket, most of them are working at the CoE. They have to go through the grind for two-three years. Even in age-group cricket, we ensured they get red-ball exposure trips to Australia and Sri Lanka and that’s how you can mould them. Even in the IPL era, we have some outstanding red-ball talents emerging.Story continues below this adYou picked Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the Under-19 World Cup when you could have held him back for another cycle. What made you play him at 14?His thought process stood out for me. At that age, he kept it simple: see the ball and hit the ball. His fearless approach is the greatest quality. If he plays a lot of cricket, domestic as well as international, he will learn a lot. And he is one guy who can win matches for India. But patience is the key. Only when he comes close to retirement will we know whether he is a great player or whether he fulfilled his talent.