Indian batter and former interim captain Ajinkya Rahane has called for radical changes to how selectors in the country’s domestic cricket are appointed.

He wants only recently-retired players to become selectors because they are more in-tune with the demands of the ever-changing nature of the sport, suggesting that this would also help players not be ‘scared’ of those entrusted to pick the best of them into state and regional teams.

Rahana commented on a discussion with his former India teammate, Cheteshwar Pujara, on his YouTube channel.

“Players should not be scared of selectors," he said. “I want to talk about selectors, especially in domestic cricket. We should have selectors who have retired recently from playing top-flight cricket, those who have retired five to seven, seven to eight years ago. Because the way cricket is evolving, I think it’s very important that the mentality and mindset of the selectors match that and keep pace with the change. The game is evolving.

“We don’t want to make decisions based on how cricket was played 20-30 years ago. With formats like T20 and the IPL, it’s important to understand the style of modern cricket players. I believe selectors should, wherever possible, be individuals from all states, and players should be on the ground playing with freedom, playing fearless cricket," Rahane, who has played for Mumbai all his life, said.

Currently, any retired cricketer with experience of over 10 first-class matches can apply to be a Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI)’s state association selector after serving a cooling-off period of at least five years. For example, Pujara, who announced his retirement in August, can’t apply for the job till 2030. The national selection committee parameters are more stringent and change often, but also include a cooling-off period.

Pujara, Rahane’s former teammate, took a more balanced view on the subject. He agreed with the idea, but said it shouldn’t mean that cricketers retired in previous eras of the sport shouldn’t be considered at all.

“In big states, this can be implemented because they have so many options. So, wherever possible, I do agree that it can be implemented, but that does mean that any past cricketer, who has got a great record and wants to be a selector now, should be deprived of the chance because he retired long back," the Saurashtra star said.