Chandrakant Sitaram Pandit (pronunciationⓘ), nicknamed "Chandu" (born 30 September 1961), is a former Indian cricketer who played in five Test matches and 36 One Day Internationals from 1986 to 1992. He was a wicket-keeper batsman. He made his Test debut against England at Headingley, Leeds on 19 June 1986, in the same match England wicket-keeper, Bruce French made his Test debut. Eventually India won the series 2–0.
His ODI debut was against New Zealand at Sharjah in the Austral-Asia Cup on 10 April 1986. He was part of India's World Cup squad for the 1987 World Cup. He was a part of the Indian squad which won the 1988 Asia Cup. He replaced Dilip Vengsarkar in the semi-final match against England at his hometown, Mumbai.[1]
Coach
After retirement, Pandit began a cricket academy at his alma mater, the Hansraj Morarji Public School. As a cricket coach, he enjoyed successful stints with several teams, including the Mumbai cricket team. He coached Vidarbha cricket team to two successive Ranji Trophy triumphs in 2018 and 2019. Under his coaching and tutelage, the Madhya Pradesh team won its first Ranji Trophy in 2022.[2] In 2022, Pandit was appointed as Head Coach for the IPL Franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. In 2024 he won the IPL trophy after 10 years for Kolkata Knight Riders[3]
Chairman
He was the Chairman of All India Junior Selection Committee for the year 2013 and was replaced by Connor Williams.[citation needed]
