Pragyan Ojha has been handed interim charge of India’s national selection committee and has emerged as a candidate to succeed Ajit Agarkar as Chief Selector on a permanent basis, according to a report by Cricbuzz journalist Vijay Tagore.
The leadership transition comes at a busy point for the selectors, who are preparing for a substantial round of squad decisions ahead of India’s tour of New Zealand. Ojha is currently heading a four-member panel alongside Shiv Sundar Das, RP Singh and Ajay Ratra.
Ojha takes charge as Agarkar tenure winds down
Agarkar was absent when the selectors met in Guwahati on Tuesday, with his BCCI contract due to formally conclude on October 4. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia was present and addressed the selectors on the way forward, while India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir was also in Guwahati as the team prepared for its second ODI against the West Indies.
Ojha has played 24 Tests for India, giving him the most Test experience among the four current selectors. Das played 23 Tests, followed by RP Singh with 14 and Ratra with six.
That experience places Ojha at the head of the existing panel for the interim period, but the eventual composition of the committee could still determine who occupies the position permanently.
Permanent leadership remains undecided
The BCCI has yet to finalise whether the interim arrangement will continue once the selection panel is completed. Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has also been linked with the vacant position, and his potential appointment could alter the leadership structure.
Amid the uncertainty over how the committee will ultimately be constituted, a source told Cricbuzz: “You never know anything might happen in the BCCI. But Ojha looks an acceptable candidate for everyone.”
For now, Ojha has been asked to take responsibility for the committee while the BCCI works through the next appointment. The permanent Chair will become clearer once the remaining position on the panel is filled.
New Zealand selections provide immediate test
The change in leadership comes as India prepare for a full tour of New Zealand beginning on October 22. The senior side is scheduled to play five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests, while an India A programme will run alongside the tour.
The selectors therefore have several squads to finalise across the two programmes. Discussions in Guwahati included planning for the New Zealand assignments, with most of the players for the tour understood to have already been identified.
Scheduling will also require decisions around players involved in multiple formats. India’s final ODI is set for November 15 in Tauranga, only four days before the first Test begins in Wellington, creating the possibility that some Test players involved in the ODI squad could leave that leg early to prepare for the red-ball series.
The India A side, meanwhile, is scheduled to play three matches in New Zealand between October 24 and November 10.
Selection panel moves into post-Agarkar phase
The committee is also dealing with more immediate assignments. A replacement has been considered for Hardik Pandya in the India A squad for three one-day matches against Australia A in Puducherry beginning October 6, although the timing of any announcement remains unclear.
The selectors are expected to move on to separate match-watching assignments after their Guwahati discussions, with the committee continuing its work under Ojha’s interim leadership.
Agarkar’s contract formally ending on October 4 will complete the transition away from his tenure, while the BCCI’s next appointment will determine whether Ojha’s current responsibility develops into the permanent Chief Selector role.
