Correspondent, 23 October: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the appointment of a new chairman for its junior selection committee on the afternoon of October 23. This significant responsibility has been entrusted to 40-year-old former Indian fast bowler Parvinder Awana. Overcoming severe hardships to eventually earn a spot in the national team and the IPL, this appointment marks a major milestone in Awana's career.
Hailing from Harola village in Uttar Pradesh's Noida, Awana's path to success was arduous. He lost his father when he was just 14 years old. Following this tragedy, his mother worked as a gardener for the Noida Authority, raising him under extremely difficult circumstances to help him achieve his dream of becoming a cricketer. Now affectionately known as the 'Harola Express,' Awana will lead a selection committee that also features Krishna Das, Rakesh Patel, and N. Arjun Yadav as selectors representing different zones.
The pacer first gained prominence in 2004 by winning the ESPN Mahindra Scorpio Speedster Talent Hunt, securing the title of the fastest bowler. This achievement unlocked an opportunity for him to undergo training in Australia alongside former fast bowler Damien Fleming. Awana subsequently made his international debut for India on December 20, 2012, in a T20 match against England in Pune. A subsequent T20 fixture against England in Mumbai proved to be his final international appearance, limiting his national representation to just those two matches.
Awana made his first-class cricket debut on December 1, 2007, and went on to represent Delhi between 2007 and 2016. During his first-class career, he claimed 191 wickets at an average of 29.23, with his final match in the format being played against Jharkhand in Thumba. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he played for Kings XI Punjab. His final IPL appearance came during the 2014 season's final in Bengaluru, where Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Punjab by three wickets to secure the championship.
Having received limited opportunities at the international level, Parvinder Awana announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in 2018 at the young age of 31. Following his playing career, he transitioned into coaching. He has since taken on critical roles involving Delhi's Under-16, Under-19, and Under-23 squads, the India Under-19 team, as well as multiple high-performance initiatives organized by the BCCI and the Center of Excellence.
