India men’s senior cricket team’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar was the notable absence from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) review meeting on September 3. Agarkar did not attend the meeting virtually as well, confirmed BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in his interaction with the media. Saikia revealed that the chief selector was out of station and did not have a proper internet connection in the area to join the meeting virtually.
"Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was out of station. He could not be a part of the meeting because it was called at a very short notice. He was in such an area that he could not join online," Saikia told the reporters.
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Moreover, there was no discussion around Agarkar’s extension of contract. The former pace-bowling all-rounder’s contract expires this month. BCCI is yet to reveal whether he will continue as chief selector till ODI World Cup 2027 or leave on completion of his tenure.
A couple of days before the BCCI review meeting, India’s squad for T20I series against Afghanistan was announced. The review meeting was attended by head coach Gautam Gambhir, Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman, ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill and T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer.
Saikia clears dark clouds over Rohit’s future
Saikia dismissed rumours of former skipper Rohit Sharma retiring from ODI cricket. He lashed out at Rohit’s doubters while pointing out the 138-run knock in his previous ODI appearance against England. Rohit will feature in the ODI series against West Indies later this month. Currently, he is not expected to retire and likely to feature in the ODI World Cup 2027 on South Africa soil.
Saikia on vacant CoE post and mounting injuries
Saikia also express concerns about injuries to key players and revealed that the ideal candidate for the Head of Sports Science at the CoE is ongoing. In order to avoid injuries, the upcoming Future Tour Programme (FTP) will ensure that players get proper rest, time to acclimatise in addition to practice game for series in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.