Ajit Agarkar has exited the selection scene. His role as chief selector in picking the squad for the home ODI series against the West Indies was his last. The BCCI has reportedly named former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha as the interim head of the current four-member selection committee, with the 24-Test veteran also in line to be promoted officially to the post.
On Tuesday, head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen having a lengthy chat with the four current members of the selection committee — Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra, R P Singh and Ojha — at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, where India will take on the West Indies in the second game of the series. Agarkar was not present.
According to a PTI report, Ojha has been named interim head of the selection committee and is in line to become the next chief selector.
While a discussion between the four selectors and Gambhir is nothing unusual, it carries added significance with the committee set to soon sit down to pick the squads for India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand — including the India A side for three Tests, the T20I and ODI squads, and the Test team.
The tricky part of the selection process will be managing the overlap between the ODI and Test schedules. India will play the final ODI of the tour on November 15, with the first Test beginning in Wellington just four days later. That could mean releasing some regular Test members early for training sessions, leaving the selectors with a considerable selection headache, particularly because both formats carry significance in this cycle.
The full tour will run from October 22 to November 27, beginning with a five-match T20I series in Christchurch.
A five-match ODI series will follow, beginning in Auckland on November 4. The tour will conclude with two Tests, in Wellington and Christchurch, from November 19.
There is also an India A shadow tour, with the side playing three ‘A’ Tests between October 24 and November 10.
With preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup already gathering pace, the New Zealand tour is also expected to provide another opportunity for the team management and selectors to assess combinations and manage player workloads across formats.
