Agarkar’s eventful stint as chief selector all but over

Ajit Agarkar’s three-year tenure as chairman of the senior men’s selection committee has effectively come to an end, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) now set to initiate the process of finding his replacement.

The BCCI’s 95th Annual General Meeting (AGM) here on Friday authorised the office-bearers to suitably fill vacancies, in line with the recent convention. Multiple member representatives who attended the AGM confirmed to The Hindu that, on the sidelines of the meeting, the office-bearers informed delegates that the board would initiate the process to find the Mumbaikar’s successor.

A BCCI office-bearer, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that “Agarkar has formally informed the BCCI just before the AGM that he doesn’t wish to continue as a selector” after his term ends on October 4.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, however, remained non-committal about Agarkar’s future. “Today, there was no discussion on any individual,” he said after the AGM. “We still have 15 days to go. Fifteen days is a long time in the world of cricket. We have 15 days time, we will take a decision at an appropriate time. We will let you know about it.”

Agarkar remained unavailable for a comment.

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.

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.

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.

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.