Parthiv Patel as Chief Selector if Ajit Agarkar, BCCI does not agree an extension

Parthiv Patel and Ajit Agarkar NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has emerged as a strong candidate to replace Ajit Agarkar as chairman of the men’s senior selection committee if the incumbent and the BCCI do not reach an extension agreement.TimesofIndia.com has learned that Parthiv’s name has been doing the rounds in the power corridors of Indian cricket for the past six months as key figures prepare for life after Agarkar. While an extension was not on the table for the Mumbaikar then, there was a strong consensus about Parthiv as a possible successor at the top job.If all works out, Parthiv will be the highest-ranking member of the panel with 25 Tests. SS Das played 23 Tests, RP Singh played 14 matches while Pragyan Ojha and Ajay Ratra had 24 and 6 matches respectively. The Indian cricket board has remained tight-lipped on the matter, but clarity is expected in the coming weeks.Agarkar has picked the squads for the ODIs and T20Is against the West Indies and the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup, and strong murmurs suggest that this could be his last selection session. The former Indian cricketer attended the India-Afghanistan T20I tournament in Delhi accompanied by RP and Ratra selectors. The second game of the series was also attended by ICC Chairman Jay Shah, BCCI President Mithun Manhas and Vice President Rajeev Shukla.After the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on Friday, Shukla made a brief statement on the topic: “The AGM empowers office bearers to decide on selectors”.Agarkar recently missed a prestigious evaluation meeting which was attended by top Indian cricket board players, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, CoE chief VVS Laxman. While BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia played down the chief selector’s absence saying he is out of town, those watching the development believe it is “not conducive”.“You had everyone there. It’s not every day you get the key figures of Indian cricket under one roof. The head coach traveled from Delhi, Laxman traveled and Gill and Iyer both juggled their commitments. Mithun Manhas also traveled. So it was a bit strange that the chairman of the men’s selection committee was not there,” the source said when key issues were not on the table.Indian cricket faces a crucial 12 months in the build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup and the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. While a section believes that continuity with Agarkar is needed at this point, there are several influential voices who want to hand over the reins to Parthiv.The former India wicketkeeper currently serves as assistant and batting coach at Gujarat Titans and does commentary when his schedule allows. It is clear that Parthiv is likely to get a bigger role in the IPL franchise from the next cycle onwards, but if the selector’s role materialises, GT will probably have to explore different options.