When the BCCI mandarins opened the mailbox to check the CVs of prospective national selection committee candidates, they were in for a shock to find applications from Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virender Sehwag.
And if that wasn't enough, Pakistan captain Inzamam ul Haq was also offering his candidature for the position.
Only, all these CVs were posted using spam email ids from imposters wanting to have some fun at BCCI's expense.
The BCCI has received over 600 e-mail applications for the five-member selection panel and some of them have come from fake ids claiming to be Tendulkar, Dhoni, Sehwag and Inzamam.
On a serious note, the Cricket Advisory Committee is expected to shortlist 10 names for the high-profile positions.
"Around 600 applications have been received and some of them have come from fake ids claiming to be Dhoni, Sehwag and Tendulkar. They are simply wasting BCCI's time by doing that."
"The CAC will shortlist 10 candidates and then choose the final five. The process will be completed soon," a BCCI source told PTI
The BCCI had sacked the Chetan Sharma-led selection panel following the team's semifinal exit from the T20 World Cup last month. However, that panel continues to remain in operation with their successors not finalised.
The committee had also followed the first round of the Ranji Trophy and are watching the second round. Debasish Mohanty is in Kolkata watching the Bengal vs Himachal Pradesh match.
On Wednesday, the BCCI Apex Council could not clear the central contracts of the players as the selection committee is yet to be formed and its input is needed before the list is finalised.
The CAC comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjpe and Sulakshna Naik, appointed earlier this month, is expected to meet soon to complete the job.
Besides deciding the central contracts, the selection panel's initial task will be to pick teams for the home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand starting January 3.
