NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has emerged as a strong candidate to replace Ajit Agarkar as the men’s senior selection committee chairman if the incumbent and the BCCI don’t reach an extension agreement.TimesofIndia.com has learnt that Parthiv’s name has been circulating in Indian cricket’s power corridors for the last six months when key figures were preparing for life after Agarkar. While an extension for the Mumbaikar wasn’t off the table back then, a strong cosensus had been reached on Parthiv as the possible successor for the top job.If everything falls into place, Parthiv will be the most senior member of the panel with 25 Tests. SS Das played 23 Tests, RP Singh made 14 appearances while Pragyan Ojha and Ajay Ratra had 24 and 6 caps, respectively. The Indian cricket board has remained tight-lipped on the matter but clarity could be expected in the coming weeks.Agarkar picked the squads for the ODIs and T20Is against West Indies, and the Rest of India team for the Irani Cup and strong murmurs suggest this could well have been his last selection meeting. The former India cricketer attended the India-Afghanistan T20Is in Delhi, accompanied by selectors RP and Ratra. The second game of the series was also attended by ICC Chairman Jay Shah, BCCI President Mithun Manhas and Vice-President Rajeev Shukla.Agarkar recently missed the high-profile review meeting attended by the Indian cricket board’s top brass, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, CoE head VVS Laxman. While the BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia downplayed the chief selector’s absence saying he was out of town, those tracking developments believe it “doesn’t add up”.“You had everyone available there. It’s not every day you get the key figures of Indian cricket under the same roof. Head coach travelled from Delhi, Laxman travelled, and Gill and Iyer both juggled their commitments. Mithun Manhas travelled too. So it was a bit strange that the chairman of the men’s senior selection committee wasn’t there when key issues were on the table. It just doesn’t add up,” said a source close to developments.Indian cricket is staring at a crucial 12 months in the build-up to the 2027 edition of the ODI World Cup and the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. While a section believes continuity with Agarkar is need of the hour, there are some influential voices keen to hand the reigns to Parthiv.The former India keeper is currently serving as assistant and batting coach at Gujarat Titans and commentating when his schedule permits. It is understood that Parthiv was likely to get a bigger role in the IPL franchise from the next cycle but if the selector role materialises, GT will probably have to explore different options.
