Former India cricketer Ashoke Dinda announced his entry into politics by joining the BJP last month. On Saturday, he was named in the party’s first list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls. He will be contesting from Moyna assembly constituency. 

Dinda announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in February. Announcing his retirement, he said, “Playing for India is everybody’s aim, I played for Bengal that’s why I got the chance to represent India. I thank the BCCI for giving me an opportunity to play for India.”

He added, “Senior players like Deep Das Gupta, Rohan Gavaskar guided me when I played for Bengal. I got the support every time I picked a wicket.”

Dinda played for India in 13 ODIs and 9 T20Is, picking up 12 and 17 wickets respectively, according to Cricbuzz. Throughout his career, Dinda was a regular for Bengal in domestic cricket. 

Bengal’s Ranji coach for two years, Paras Mhambrey, told Cricbuzz, “The best thing about him is his attitude. He has come up the hard way, and doesn’t take anything for granted. He is always prepared to bowl long spells, and never shies away from hard work.”

Dinda also had a decent IPL career, starting with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural season under Sourav Gangly. In 78 IPL matches, Dinda picked up 69 wickets.