Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday named former cricketer Ajay Ratra as the new member of the Senior Men's National Selection Committee. Ratra, who is associated with the Haryana Cricket Association, comes in place of Salil Ankola in the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar.

Ankola is the second member from West Zone besides Agarkar in the National Selection Committee and the BCCI seems to have dropped him to maintain representation in all zones under it.

Ratra, a former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, brings with him a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in both domestic and international cricket, the BCCI informed in a statement on Tuesday. Ratra played six Tests and 12 ODIs for India. Representing Haryana, Ratra played over 90 First Class matches, scoring close to 4000 runs and had over 240 dismissals.

As a selector, Ratra will work alongside the existing members of the selection committee to identify and support the next generation of cricketers who will represent India on the global stage, the BCCI said in a statement.

"Ratra has extensive coaching experience having worked as a head coach of Assam, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. He was also a part of the coaching staff of the Indian team during their ODI series in South Africa in 2023.

"His insights will be instrumental to the committee in ensuring that the best talent is identified, nurtured, and given the opportunity to excel at the highest level," the BCCI informed in its statement.

Ratra's first assignment in the role will be to pick the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The first Test will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on September 19, followed by the second Test at Kanpur's Green Park on September 27.