Ajit Agarkar’s future as chief selector to be decided at right time, says BCCI secretary
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Ajit Agarkar’s future as chief selector to be decided at right time, says BCCI secretary")
Ajit Agarkar’s future as chief selector to be decided at right time Saikia Photograph: (AFP)
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia addresses Ajit Agarkar’s future as chief selector ahead of his contract deadline. Read the latest updates and contenders.
Indian Cricket stands at a crossroads, with talks about current chief selector Ajit Agarkar not wanting to extend his contract, which ends in 15 days. With reports of the BCCI heads trying to convince him to stay until the 2027 ODI World Cup, board secretary Devajit Saikia said 15 days is a long time in the cricket world, and that the decision on Agarkar’s future will be made at the right time.
BCCI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday morning may have decided on Agarkar’s future, but no details were shared during the media interaction.
“There’s still 15 days left (for Agarkar to complete his term)...15 days is a long time in the world of cricket. We have 15 days; we will take a decision in appropriate time, we will let you know about it,” Saikia said to the media.
Earlier reports stated that BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla had said that the ‘office-bearers have been authorised to decide on the senior men’s selection committee.’
Meanwhile, if recent developments are to be believed, Team India’s squad selection for the home white-ball series against the West Indies was Agarkar’s last in charge as the head of the men’s selection committee.
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The board will advertise for the position, followed by interviews, with the whole exercise likely to take some time. In the meantime, the BCCI could appoint an interim chief selector, if the need arises, and former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha, having played 24 Tests, leads the race owing to test seniority.
The BCCI, however, has started to prepare for life after Agarkar, with several names likely doing the rounds. Ex-India keeper-batter Parthiv Patel is the frontrunner to replace Agarkar for the role. On the other hand, VVS Laxman, who often fills in for head coach Gautam Gambhir, was the board’s first choice, but reports suggest that he wasn’t keen on taking up the responsibility.
Laxman is the head of BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, and wishes to continue overseeing that role.
BCCI Meet Absence Indicated Agarkar’s Exit
Agarkar was not part of BCCI’s recently concluded high-profile meeting in Mumbai, which eventually dropped the biggest hint that he has made up his mind. The meeting was attended by the two Indian captains Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, board secretary Saikia, Laxman and even Gambhir.
Although Saikia had then dismissed his absence by saying that Agarkar was out of town and in no internet zone for personal reasons, the BCCI’s official remarks indicated the separation.
“It wasn’t that the meeting was decided upon within 48 hours. The chief selector missing such an important conclave where the way forward for Indian cricket was discussed doesn’t make sense,” a BCCI official said. “You have got to be indifferent to what’s happening around to miss such an occasion, and Agarkar is not the sort to do so. He had his plans in place and so skipped it.”
What led to Agarkar’s departure?
Agarkar’s tenure as the chief selector coincided with Indian Cricket’s glorious years, when they won two T20 World Cups and an ICC Champions Trophy, all in the space of three years; however, like how all good things come to an end, so did his tenure.
What possibly triggered it was Rohit Sharma’s retirement episode during the UK tour this year, when several reports claimed that the Indian veteran would retire after the final ODI at Lord’s, where he smashed a brilliant hundred in a losing cause.
