In place of Pragyan Ojha, chief selector Ajit Agarkar himself has decided to stay in England for the ODIs. Agarkar’s presence in England amid speculations about Rohit Sharma’s retirement has made the situation more serious.
As per the latest update, as per the original plan, selector Pragyan Ojha was to stay in England during the ongoing 3-match ODI series in England. Due to a sudden change in plans, Agarkar is in England for the India vs England ODI series in place of Ojha.
Why is Ajit Agarkar in England?
The presence of the chief selector during a match or series is not unnatural; Ajit Agarkar visited the ground during many matches, be it a home or away series. This is the time which makes his presence in England important.
If reports are to be believed, Rohit Sharma is set to be out of ODI after the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s on Sunday.
If Rohit has really made up his mind to walk away from international cricket then there should be clear communication between Rohit and the team management. Given that Ajit Agarkar holds the position of chief selector of the India men’s cricket team, he could be the one who exchanged formal words with the former Indian captain before the Lord’s match.
There must have been some conversation between Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma
Amidst the ongoing speculation about Rohit Sharma’s career, Dainik Jagran journalist Abhishek Tripathi claims that Pragyan Ojha was to stay for the ODIs after the conclusion of the T20 series. But due to some urgent reasons he had to leave and Ajit Agarkar went to England for ODIs. It is possible that Agarkar himself wants to take additional responsibilities to have a frank conversation with Rohit Sharma.
“Pragyan Ojha was to be the selector for the England tour. He was actually there during five T20s. He had to stay there during the three ODI matches, but he showed some extra activities at many places. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar decided to field himself for three ODI matches. Only he could have taken such a big decision and made Rohit aware of the thinking of the selectors.” Abhishek Tripathi has mentioned this in his ‘X’ post.
Pragyan Ojha was to be the selector on the England tour. During this period he was also there during five T20s. He was present there during the three freelances also but at many places he showed some extra activity. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar himself decided to go for three colleagues. Such a big decision…
– Abhishek Tripathi/Abhishek Tripitaka (@abishereporter) July 17, 2026
After the India vs England 2nd ODI in Cardiff, several media reports strongly claimed that the upcoming match at Lord’s would be the opener’s final match for the Indian cricket team.
Rohit Sharma’s form was disappointing in the two matches against England.
It is also reported that for the Lord’s match, the batsman himself invited his parents, Gurunath Sharma and Purnima Sharma, to stay in London and made all the arrangements so that his parents could stay there without any inconvenience.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma faced another disappointing performance in the series in England. In two consecutive matches, the batsman known as the ‘Hitman’ among Indian cricket fans struggled to score runs with the fluency he had done for years.
In the lead up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, as the team looks set to give opportunities to young batsmen, Rohit might have decided to end his international career.
