Mumbai: Selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as a national selector is likely to end as his contract expires on October 4.
Team India’s former pace bowling allrounder may already have chaired his last selection meeting on Wednesday, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced squads for the upcoming white-ball series against the West Indies and the Irani Trophy.
BCCI’s annual general meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Friday, and Agarkar is unlikely to get an extension.
In that case, a new chief selector will have to be appointed. Former India players Parthiv Patel and Pragyan Ojha are learnt to be the frontrunners in the race, NDTV reported citing sources.
The 40-year-old Pragyan, born in Bhubaneswar but played domestic cricket for Hyderabad as his parents shifted when he was 14, is one of the selectors on the current panel.
Former left-arm spinner Pragyan, who played 24 Tests, 18 ODIs and 6 T20Is for India, was inducted into the selection panel last September and has two years left in his term.
Wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv (41), on the other hand, featured in 25 Tests, 38 ODIs and 2 T20Is for the country.
Both Pragyan and Parthiv are three-time IPL winners.