Pragyan Ojha named interim chief selector after Ajit Agarkar's exit; Gambhir meets panel on NZ tour

Former left-arm spin bowler Pragyan Ojha has been made interim head of the four-member national selection committee after Ajit Agarkar's resignation. Ojha now appears to be the front-runner in the race to become India's new chief selector.

A day before the second ODI against the West Indies, an interesting scene was seen at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. India head coach Gautam Gambhir held a long and serious conversation with the entire selection committee during a practice session. It is rare for all four selectors to be present together during a series, which adds to the significance of the meeting.

While the West Indies team was practising in the stadium, Gambhir moved to one side and held a detailed discussion with Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra, RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Outgoing chief selector Ajit Agarkar was not present at the meeting. Ojha, who has played 24 Tests for India, led the selection committee in the discussion. The conversation is believed to have centred on selecting the team for the coming New Zealand tour and the strategy for choosing players.

The Indian team will be on a full tour of New Zealand from October 22 to November 27. For this long tour, the selection committee will have to pick the main Test team along with India 'A' squads for three Tests, a T20 series and an ODI series.

The five-match T20 series will begin in Christchurch on October 22. The five-match ODI series will be played in Auckland on November 4. The tour will end with a two-match Test series starting on November 19, to be played in Wellington and Christchurch. Alongside the main series, India 'A' will also play three 'A' Tests in New Zealand between October 24 and November 10.

The last ODI of the series will be played in Tauranga on November 15, while the first Test will begin in Wellington on November 19. For better preparation for the Tests, some key players from both the ODI and Test squads may be sent to New Zealand early, during the ODI series.

With the 2027 ODI World Cup preparations in view, the selection committee and the team management are focusing on managing players' workload and testing combinations across formats on this tour.