Parthiv Patel in commentary stint - (Source: X)
The position of men’s chief selector’s role is still vacant in Indian cricket, and several developments took place in the last couple of days. Parthiv Patel, who was touted to succeed Ajit Agarkar, didn’t apply for the role, which sent the internet into a frenzy.
Notably, Wednesday, October 14, was the last day to apply for the vacant West zone selector role after Ajit Agarkar refused to extend his tenure. Had Parthiv applied, he was sure of getting the chief selector role because he would have had the most Test appearances within the selection committee.
Now, Pragyan Ojha is serving as the interim chief selector and is most likely to be named permanent chief selector soon. However, the fans are confused as to why Parthiv Patel did not apply for the role.
Financial Reason Behind Parthiv’s Rejection
In the latest events, a report from The Telegraph India stated that a lower salary was the reason behind Parthiv Patel opting out of the chief selector race. The report read that Patel was unhappy with the 3 crore offer from the BCCI.
Parthiv Patel would have suffered a financial loss because accepting the role meant he would have had to leave his role at Gujarat Titans and commentary stitnts. Hence, Patel didn’t put his name for the vacant seat.
Now, the likes of Wasim Jaffer and Romesh Powar are said to be the leading contenders for West Zone selector.
VVS Laxman’s Influence Behind Parthiv Patel’s Decision?
One of the reports from Times of India also stated that the growing influence of VVS Laxman is a key reason behind Patel’s decision. For the unversed, Laxman, who is the head of CoE, sat in the selection meeting for New Zealand T20Is and will be part of every selection meeting from now on.
Therefore, Parthiv Patel feared that Laxman might have a greater say in selection, which is why he opted out of the selectors’ race.
Interestingly, the same report mentioned that the BCCI themselves is keen on increasing the budget reserved for the selection committee.
Earlier, the Mithun Manhas-led side used to reserve 14.45 crores for the selection committee, which was increased by 3 crores to 17.45 crores during Ajit Agarkar’s tenure. For the ongoing season, the BCCI has increased the budget by 2 crores to 19.45 crores.
