BCCI to take up Ajit Agarkar’s future after AGM approval, confirms Rajeev Shukla

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, BCCI President Mithun Manhas and BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla (left), Ajit Agarkar. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has instructed its officials to take a decision on the future of the Ajit Agarkar-led men’s selection committee, vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirmed after the board’s 95th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on Friday.“Arun Singh Dhumal, Majumdar retain posts in IPL governing council; AGM mandates office bearers to take decision on selectors,” Shukla said after attending a meeting at BCCI headquarters.BCCI President Mithun Manhas, Vice President Rajeev Shukla, Secretary Devajit Saikia, Cricket Association of Bengal President Sourav Ganguly and Jharkhand State Cricket Association Secretary Saurabh Tiwary were among the officials present at the AGM.Agarkar was appointed as the chairman of the men’s senior selection committee in July 2023 and his contract is set to expire next month.If his tenure ends without an extension, the BCCI will not be able to appoint a new chairman immediately. The board will first need to advertise the position and then conduct interviews before appointing a replacement, so the appointment process will likely take some time.As previously reported by TimesofIndia.com, former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel has emerged as a strong contender to replace Agarkar if the BCCI and the current chairman do not agree on an extension.If appointed, Parthiv would become the most experienced member of the current selection committee with 25 Test appearances. The other members are SS Das (23 Tests), RP Singh (14 Tests), Pragyan Ojha (24 Tests) and Ajay Ratra (6 Tests).The selectors announced the Indian squads for the upcoming home white-ball series against the West Indies earlier this week. Their next major responsibility will be to select the India Test and India ‘A’ squads for the tour of New Zealand in October and November.India will play five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests against New Zealand, while India ‘A’ will play three unofficial Tests against New Zealand ‘A’ in a shadow tour before the two-match Test series.