Monish Parmar's action under scrutiny

The bowling action of Monish Parmar, a spinner from Gujarat, has come under scrutiny after an ICC-appointed panel for the Under-19 World Cup informed the Indian board to review the suspect action. Parmar, 18, has been successfully taking wickets for the Gujarat Under-19 side but sections of the media reported that the selectors had been worried about Parmar's action even before his selection for the World Cup in Sri Lanka.

The panel was informed about Parmar's action, but due to his non-selection for any of the matches in Sri Lanka they were unable to come to a decision. The panel was also unable to gather any filmed documentation of Parmar, but has since advised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to undertake an investigation of his action.

According to The Hindu, two seasons ago Ashok Mankad, a BCCI Talent Research Development Officer, had written to the National Cricket Academy to inspect Parmar's chest-on action. Anshuman Gaekward, the former Indian batsman who is currently a consultant to the Gujarat Cricket Assocation, was instrumental in getting Parmar to fix the problem by having him bowl with a more side-on action. However, Gaekwad had said that Parmar could not be selected for the Ranji Trophy as he was the main bowler for Gujarat's Under-19 and Under-22 teams.

The BCCI stated that it will take any necessary action to correct Parmar's problem. It has even been suggested that an experienced offspinner would be called in to study Parmar's action with the help of video analysis and suggest remedial measures. Shivlal Yadav, the former Indian offspinner and current NCA director, has been requested to oversee Parmar so that there are no further hindrances to his first-class season. Meanwhile, Parmar has been selected for the Zonal Academy (West Zone) and will take part in a training camp beginning today.