Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chief of men’s selection committee has come to an end. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already invited applications for former cricketers to fill the vacant seat. As the Indian cricket moves on, current head coach Gautam Gambhir paid a tribute to Agarkar who made a few bold calls that paid off but a few controversial calls that have put him under scrutiny.
Here’s what Gambhir wrote on X as a tribute to Agarkar -
Dear Ajit Bhai, an absolute honour to work with you. Those 3 ICC trophies are testimony of your conviction: Team first & Team ahead, always.. I must say, History will be kinder to you. Thank you for everything. My heartfelt wishes for your future endeavours!!
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Agarkar’s bold calls
Agarkar’s top call has to be the inclusion of Ishan Kishan in the T20I squad just a series before the T20 World Cup 2026. Kishan was rewarded for his performances in domestic cricket and got the nod from selectors ahead of former T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill who was dropped from the squad. The call paid off as Kishan was a vital cog in the wheel in India’s T20 World Cup 2026-winning campaign at home. He pushed his way into the ODI squad as well. It is yet to be seen whether he is on the flight to New Zealand or not. Meanwhile, he is making a case for his Test return as well. Most recently, he smashed a 270-run knock in Duleep Trophy 2026 final.
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But, reportedly a few bold calls backfired. The exclusion of Mohammed Shami continues to be a mystery. Despite injuries to key players in multiple series across formats, Shami has not played a game since India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. Shami’s fitness has been cited as a concern by Agarkar but the pacer has turned up to play domestic cricket to prove otherwise.
Also, the handling of Rohit Sharma may have played a role. Reportedly, Rohit was expected to retire from ODIs after the Lord’s ODI. But, he scored a century and has continued his ODI career. Agarkar had said that Rohit and Virat Kohli had been non-committal about the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa. But, the senior duo have continued to show that they remain committed to the mega event.
Agarkar also picked Suryakumar Yadav as Rohit’s successor as T20I captain after T20 World Cup 2024 instead of Hardik Pandya. Then, Suryakumar was sacked as captain and dropped from the T20I side after T20 World Cup 2026. Shreyas Iyer was brought back to the T20I side after a long gap and immediately made captain. He was brought back ahead of Rajat Patidar who led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to two consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) titles.
Earlier, Kishan and Iyer had been dropped from list of BCCI’s centrally contracted players after missing domestic cricket. In addition, Kohli and Rohit were asked to return to Ranji Trophy after Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 debacle. Eventually, they retired from Test cricket during the IPL 2025 as Shubman Gill was named captain of the Test team. Similarly, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were not offered a comeback despite India’s struggles in home conditions against spinners.
India’s major achievements with Agarkar as chief selector
India won the T20 World Cup 2024, Champions Trophy 2025, T20 World Cup 2026, Asia Cup 2023, T20 Asia Cup 2025 and a gold medal at Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. India also qualified for the ODI World Cup 2023 final without a loss in league stages. But, they lost to Australia in the final.
But, India’s Test side has not been up to the mark. India had progressed to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final but lost to Australia. The Test side has been on a decline since. India have been whitewashed at home by New Zealand and South Africa. They failed to make it to the WTC 2025 final. Even in the current cycle, they face tough odds to qualify for the WTC 2027 final with a two-Test series on New Zealand soil and Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2027 left to play.
Who is leading the selection committee after Agarkar’s exit?
Former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has been serving as the interim head of the selection committee. Ojha-led committee picked the squad for T20I series against New Zealand later this month. Also, they picked India A squad for the three-unofficial Test series against New Zealand A. Days after Agarkar’s tenure ended, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was recalled into the T20I squad after nearly four years. Bhuvneshwar has been a consistent performer in RCB’s two title wins. He claimed 28 wickets in this year’s edition, his IPL career-best in a season. It has led to speculations about Shami’s return to the ODIs, especially with Prasidh Krishna sustaining a hamstring injury which will required three to four weeks of rehabilitation.
Who will be India’s next chief selector?
The BCCI on October 5 invited applications for one position in the selection committee. The deadline to submit applications is October 14. The candidate should have played a minimum of seven Tests or 30 first-class games or 10 ODIs and 20 first-class games. Also, the candidate should've retired from the game for at least five years.
It was also reported that former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel is being considered to take the role. It depends on the candidates shortlisted whether the new selector becomes the chief or Ojha is elevated to the role for a certain period. The new selector’s first task after appointment is likely to be the team for the two-Test series against the WTC 2021-winners New Zealand. The Test series will begin on November 19. It will be crucial for India’s chances to qualify for the WTC 2027 final.
The current selection committee headed by Ojha is expected to pick India’s squad for the ODI series against New Zealand as well. There can be a few changes considering players’ workloads. The ODI series will be played from November 4 to November 15. During this period, several Test-bound players will be taking on New Zealand A including Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar and others.