Former spinner Pragyan Ojha set to replace Ajit Agarkar as India’s chief selector

Pragyan Ojha (R) is set to become India’s new chief selector. (Photo: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha is reportedly set to become the new chief selector of the Indian team after the departure of Ajit Agarkar. Ojha is already part of the senior Indian men’s selection panel and looks set to be elevated to the chairman’s post.

As per a report in PTI, Ojha is currently serving as the interim head of the four-member selection committee, and his appointment is likely to be finalised soon. Ojha was spotted having a long discussion with India head coach Gautam Gambhir at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Ojha and the other three selectors – Ajay Ratra, Shiv Sundar Das and RP Singh were present at the venue ahead of the 2nd ODI between India and West Indies in Guwahati on Wednesday. The selectors were also part of a meeting with head coach Gambhir, which was not attended by outgoing chief selector Agarkar.

While the presence of the entire selection panel during a bilateral series is not a common sight, as per a report in PTI, the selectors were in Guwahati for a discussion ahead of the squad selection for India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand.

India will tour New Zealand for five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests, with the T20I series getting underway on October 22. The selectors need to finalise all three squads for the New Zealand tour. They will also have to pick the India A squad for their three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand, which is set to start on October 24.

The New Zealand series is a crucial one for India as they continue their preparations for the ODI World Cup next year. The series will give the Indian team management and the selectors a chance to assess the team’s combinations and players’ fitness as they prepare for the showpiece event.

Pragyan Ojha is a former Indian left-arm spinner who represented Hyderabad and Bihar in the domestic circuit. Ojha played 24 Tests and 18 ODIs for India in his international career, picking up 113 and 21 wickets in the two formats, respectively. He also scalped 10 wickets in six T20Is for India.

Ojha was a consistent performer in the domestic circuit, picking up an impressive 424 wickets in 103 first-class matches. He is currently serving as the South Zone selector in the BCCI senior men’s selection committee.

Abhishek reports on all things sports for News9. He has been covering cricket extensively for more than five years now and is a keen follower of the game. From preserving newspaper cuts of his favourite sporting heroes to playing the game himself and then covering it from close quarters, cricket has stayed with him since childhood. He started his career with NewsX and has worked for some of the leading news organisations in the country, including Times Now and WION. He will probably be busy watching cricket/football when not crafting stories on sports and its heroes.