Ajit Agarkar’s three-year term as the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee has effectively ended. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now preparing to begin the process of selecting his successor.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, however, remained non-committal about Agarkar’s future. Fifteen days is a long time in the world of cricket. We will let you know about it.
“We still have 15 days to go. We have 15 days time, we will take a decision at an appropriate time. The former India speedster took charge of the selection committee in July 2023 and was at the centre of several significant decisions during his stint. These included elevating Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain in place of then vice-captain Hardik Pandya in 2024, overseeing a period of high-profile Test retirements, replacing Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain with Shubman Gill after India’s Champions Trophy triumph last year and dropping T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar from the squad earlier in the year.
“Today, there was no discussion on any individual,” he said after the AGM.
The BCCI’s handling of Rohit’s future in July further strained the relationship. Saikia’s public statement backing the veteran opener’s continuation in the ODI set-up, issued without keeping the selection committee in the loop, added to the unease.
Agarkar’s tenure, however, was also marked by growing friction. In recent months, the selection committee and team management are understood to have had differences with the BCCI Centre of Excellence over its approach to player management and rehabilitation. Should the BCCI follow the convention of sticking to the unwritten zonal representation formula, former wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel will be the front-runner to replace Agarkar. The rules state that the player with the most Test caps chairs the selection committee.