The saga is over. It is now official. Ajit Agarkar is the new chairman of the BCCI Selection Committee, the board announced on Tuesday. What appears to be a premeditated move, Agarkar was the only applicant to appear for the interview. He applied for the position last week after BCCI promised to increase the chief selector’s salary. He will chair the selection meeting for IND vs WI T20 Squad.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra, and Jatin Paranjape, interviewed applicants for the position of one selector in the Men’s Selection Committee. The three-member CAC has unanimously recommended Mr Ajit Agarkar for the said position,” BCCI said in a statement.
Following his playing career, he was appointed as the Chief Selector for the senior Mumbai Team and undertook coaching responsibilities with the Delhi Capitals.
BCCI Selection Committee:
- Ajit Agarkar (Chairperson)
- Shiv Sundar Das
- Subroto Banerjee
- Salil Ankola
- Sridharan Sharath
The Indian Cricket Board currently offers a remuneration of Rs 1 crore to the chairman of selectors. The other members of the panel bag Rs 90 lakh each. Agarkar, a commentator and coach, earned way more than the current annual package of the chief selector. His appointment could force BCCI to review its existing pay structure. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will begin interviews on July 1, and a decision is likely before the Asia Cup 2023 in August.
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Having played 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and 4 T20Is, he is by far the most experienced candidate. In the current selection committee, the four members have a combined international experience of 55 international games. Agarkar has also played 42 IPL games.
Ajit Agarkar Career:
| FORMAT | Mat | Wkts | BBM | 4w | 5w | Runs | HS | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 26 | 58 | 8/160 | 0 | 1 | 571 | 109* | 1 | 0 |
| ODI | 191 | 288 | 6/42 | 10 | 2 | 1269 | 95 | 0 | 3 |
| T20I | 4 | 3 | 2/10 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| FC | 110 | 299 | – | – | 12 | 3336 | 145 | 4 | 16 |
| List A | 270 | 420 | 6/18 | 11 | 3 | 2275 | 95 | 0 | 8 |
| T20 | 62 | 47 | 3/25 | 0 | 0 | 286 | 39 | 0 | 0 |
Agarkar had earlier appeared for an interview for the selector’s post back in 2021 when Chetan Sharma from North Zone became the head of the panel. However, the former fast bowler did not receive backing from the erstwhile Mumbai Cricket Association regime. Furthermore, his appointment would have denied Chetan Sharma the chief job, for which he had backing.
The chief selector’s post has been vacant since Chetan Sharma stepped down following a TV sting. BCCI posted an advert last week. It is understood that the current MCA regime won’t have a problem as it already has Salil Ankola on the roster. BCCI has relaxed the convention of honouring the zonal system, meaning both Agarkar and Ankola can be on the committee at the same time.
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