Former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has been asked to take interim charge of the national selection committee following the departure of chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Ojha, 40, who played 24 Tests, 18 one-day internationals and six T20Is for India, is the senior-most member of the current four-man panel by Tests played — the convention that guides such transitions. Agarkar's tenure as chairman is understood to have ended, and the formal process of appointing his full-time successor will take time.
The development was visible on the ground in Guwahati this week. On Tuesday, while the Indian team took a day off ahead of the second ODI against the West Indies, head coach Gautam Gambhir held a lengthy discussion with the selection committee — Ojha, Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra and R P Singh — on the sidelines of the Barsapara Stadium. The presence of all four selectors during a bilateral series is uncommon, and Agarkar was notably absent from the meeting.
The timing could not be busier. India are scheduled for a full tour of New Zealand from October 22 to November 27, featuring T20Is, ODIs and a Test series, and the committee must finalise squads for those assignments along with three India A Tests. Congestion between the final ODI on November 15 in Tauranga and the opening Test on November 19 in Wellington means player workload management will be a key judgment call.
Ojha finished his international career with 144 wickets, including a 10-wicket haul in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test. Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has also been repeatedly linked with the permanent chairman's post, but for now the committee is Ojha's to steer through the transition.
Sources: PTI via The Print, Sep 29, 2026 — https://theprint.in/sport/pragyan-o...tion-committee-may-get-promotion/3057372/?amp ; Sportstar, Sep 29, 2026 — https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...on-committee-ajit-agarkar/article71525539.ece
Ojha, 40, who played 24 Tests, 18 one-day internationals and six T20Is for India, is the senior-most member of the current four-man panel by Tests played — the convention that guides such transitions. Agarkar's tenure as chairman is understood to have ended, and the formal process of appointing his full-time successor will take time.
The development was visible on the ground in Guwahati this week. On Tuesday, while the Indian team took a day off ahead of the second ODI against the West Indies, head coach Gautam Gambhir held a lengthy discussion with the selection committee — Ojha, Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra and R P Singh — on the sidelines of the Barsapara Stadium. The presence of all four selectors during a bilateral series is uncommon, and Agarkar was notably absent from the meeting.
The timing could not be busier. India are scheduled for a full tour of New Zealand from October 22 to November 27, featuring T20Is, ODIs and a Test series, and the committee must finalise squads for those assignments along with three India A Tests. Congestion between the final ODI on November 15 in Tauranga and the opening Test on November 19 in Wellington means player workload management will be a key judgment call.
Ojha finished his international career with 144 wickets, including a 10-wicket haul in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test. Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has also been repeatedly linked with the permanent chairman's post, but for now the committee is Ojha's to steer through the transition.
Sources: PTI via The Print, Sep 29, 2026 — https://theprint.in/sport/pragyan-o...tion-committee-may-get-promotion/3057372/?amp ; Sportstar, Sep 29, 2026 — https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...on-committee-ajit-agarkar/article71525539.ece