Explained! Why Parthiv Patel pulled out of race for BCCI chief selector post

New Delhi: Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel reportedly pulled out of the race to become the chairman of the senior Indian men’s selection panel due to monetary reasons. Patel was the frontrunner for the post after Ajit Agarkar stepped down from his position as the chief selector of the Indian team.

Patel’s name was doing the rounds for the chief selector post even before Agarkar’s exit was confirmed by the BCCI. As per reports, Patel had the backing from the board and only needed to apply to get the top post. However, he decided against doing so.

As per a report in The Telegraph India, Patel backed out of the race for the chief selector post due to “certain financial issues”. BCCI was offering him an annual remuneration of Rs 3 crore. However, Patel didn’t accept the offer as he would have lost money “substantially” by taking up the role.

Becoming the national chief selector would have come at the cost of Patel giving up his coaching role with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL and his commentary assignments. Thus, the former India wicket-keeper batter decided against contending for the chief selector’s post.

Pragyan Ojha serving as interim chief selector

After Agarkar’s departure, former India spinner Pragyan Ojha has been serving as the interim chairman of the senior men’s selection committee. Meanwhile, Agarkar is likely to be replaced with another selector from West Zone, with the likes of Ramesh Powar and Wasim Jaffer among the leading contenders for the role.