BCCI appoints Ajit Agarkar as Chairman of Selection Committee

The position was lying vacant since February this year after Chetan Sharma resigned following a sting operation.

FILE PHOTO: Agarkar, a former India international, has featured in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and four T20Is.

Former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar has been appointed the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee.

The position was lying vacant since February this year after Chetan Sharma resigned following a sting operation, and on Tuesday, the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), headed by Ashok Malhotra, recommended Agarkar for the position after interviewing him virtually.

According to a statement issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, the CAC recommended the 45-year-old Agarkar as the chairman of the committee “based on seniority (total number of Test matches).”

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Agarkar, a former India international, has featured in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and four T20Is, apart from featuring in 110 first-class, 270 List-A, and 62 T20 matches for Mumbai and West Zone.

Among the other four members of the selection committee, Salil Ankola and Subroto Banerjee have featured in one Test match each, whereas Shiv Sunder Das played 23 Tests for India.

S. Sharath, the south zone representative, hasn’t donned the national colours, but is a domestic cricket stalwart and has previously served as the chairman of the junior selection committee.

Sportstar understands that with Agarkar’s appointment, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to increase the annual salary of the chief selector, which is currently Rs 1 crore. The other members of the selection panel are paid Rs 90 lakh each per year.

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Agarkar, who was part of India’s squad that won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, was the chief selector for Mumbai until 2019, and in 2020, he applied for the selector’s post but was not picked by the BCCI.

Back then, Abey Kuruvilla was elevated as the selector from the West Zone, and after his tenure ended in 2022, Ankola became the representative from the West Zone.

However, with the appointment of Agarkar, the BCCI decided to do away with the zonal system while choosing the selectors - on the lines of the Lodha Committee recommendations. 

Over the last few seasons, Agarkar was associated with Delhi Capitals as an assistant coach and quit the post only a few days ago. With the appointment of Agarkar, who still holds the record for the fastest half-century by an Indian batter in ODI, the BCCI hopes that his vast experience will add value to the national selection committee, which has drawn flak lately.

Agarkar’s first assignment as the chairman of the selection committee will be to pick India’s T20I squad for the tour of West Indies, beginning on August 3.