Sandeep Patil ( ; born 18 August 1956) is a former Indian cricketer, India national age group cricket manager and former Kenya national team coach, who guided the underdogs to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup. He was a hard-hitting middle order batsman and an occasional medium pace bowler. He was the coach of Mumbai Champs in the Indian Cricket League, but returned to the mainstream when he cut ties with the unofficial league in 2009. He has been appointed as the director of National Cricket Academy (NCA) by the BCCI, replacing Dav Whatmore. He was appointed as the new chief of the BCCI Selection Committee on 27 September 2012. Early life Sandeep Patil was born on 18 August 1956 in Mumbai. His father, Madhusudan Patil, was a former first class cricketer, national level badminton player and skilled player of tennis and football. He grew up in the Shivaji Park area in Bombay, studied in Balmohan Vidyamandir and Ramnarain Ruia College and was coached by Ankush 'Anna' Vaidya. Cricket career In the early part of his career Patil was as much a medium pacer who bowled off the wrong foot, as he was a batsman. Following three successful years for the Bombay university in the Rohinton Baria Trophy, he made the Bombay Ranji team in 1975–76. After being on and off the team for three seasons, he played his first major innings against Delhi in the 1979 semifinal. Going in at No.6 after Bombay lost the first four wickets for 72, Patil hit 145 in 276 minutes with 18 fours and a six, none of his partners made more than 25. Patil played for Edmonton in the Middlesex league in 1979 and 1980, and for Somerset 'B' in the latter year. Australia and Pakistan visited India in 1979–80. Patil appeared in tour matches for West Zone against both teams, scoring 44 and 23 against Australia, and 68 and 71 against Pakistan. This earned him the selection in the last two Test matches against Pakistan. A week before making the debut, he made his career best first class score against Saurashtra at the Wankhede Stadium. Coming in to bat in the second morning he was 45* at lunch, reached his hundred in 139 balls scoring 105 in the second session, and ended up with 210 made in 205 balls with seven sixes and nineteen fours. The last of the sixes