The Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s selection committee is about to change shape again. Late on Thursday, the BCCI quietly put out an advertisement for “two (2) selectors”, almost certainly one each from the Central and South Zones, though the board didn’t spell that out in so many words.
“This committee must comprise individuals who have played a minimum of seven Test matches or 30 first-class games, or ten ODIs and 20 first-class games,” the notice read. Candidates also need to have been retired for at least five years and must not have already served on any BCCI cricket committee for more than five years in total. Applications close at 5 pm IST on 10 September.
Right now, former Tamil Nadu batter S Sharath is the selector from the South, while ex-India opener Shiv Sunder Das represents Central. Sharath was promoted from the junior panel in 2023; Das briefly chaired the seniors after Chetan Sharma’s exit before Agarkar took over. Neither man has breached the board’s five-year cap, yet both positions are up for grabs. Agarkar’s own contract runs until the men’s T20 World Cup in February-March next year, so he stays in the hot seat.
A senior official familiar with the thinking summed it up: “Zones still matter, even if we don’t talk about them publicly. We want the right spread of experience.”
Women’s committee next in line
A similar reshuffle looms on the women’s side. The Neetu David-led panel finishes its term in September, having just picked India’s squad for the women’s ODI World Cup. Only Shyama Shaw, appointed last year, is expected to re-apply. David, Aarti Vaidya and Renu Margrate will step aside, and the South Zone currently has no representative. The board plans to correct that imbalance.
Junior panel tweak on the cards
One change is anticipated among the junior selectors as well. Former Karnataka wicketkeeper Thilak Naidu remains chair, working with Ranadeb Bose (East), Harvinder Singh Sodhi (North), Pathik Patel (West) and Krishen Mohan (Central). Naidu came in when Sharath moved upstairs; the latest vacancy looks more like routine rotation than anything dramatic.
Why the churn now?
On paper, the BCCI says it is simply following its own tenure rules. In practice, selectors’ workloads have grown with staggered men’s and women’s calendars, A-tours and age-group cricket. More voices also mean broader scouting, especially from regions that feel under-represented.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer, asked about the timing, offered a straightforward view: “Fresh eyes help. If you’re still playing first-class cricket long after you retire internationally, you know who’s ready.”
No radical overhaul, then, but a useful refresh. Two seats at the big table are open; plenty of ex-pros will fancy a crack.
