It is apparent that only an official statement from the BCCI is remaining to confirm the exit of Ajit Agarkar as the BCCI chief selector of the men’s Indian cricket team.
It is widely speculated that the communication between the BCCI and Agarkar has broken down to an irreparable level. Agarkar, who became the chief selector in July 2023, will see off his contract until October 4, but not seek an extension. Thus, the recent ODI and T20I squads selected for the home matches against West Indies made for Agarkar’s last selection committee meeting.
It has now been reported that the damage in the Agarkar-BCCI relationship began a few months ago, and it involved the retirement drama surrounding Rohit Sharma that had engulfed social media. Agarkar, reportedly, was ready to bite the bullet and move on from Rohit in the ODI team.
Ajit Agarkar wanted to move on from Rohit Sharma and play Yashasvi Jaiswal in 2027 World Cup – Reports
Rohit was picked for the ODI series in England in July, but after low scores in the first two ODIs, he was reportedly communicated by the selectors that he wouldn’t be part of their plans moving forward, with Agarkar adamant on giving Yashasvi Jaiswal plenty of opportunities in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup.
This created a huge stir on social media and among the fans and experts. However, a day before the 3rd ODI at Lord’s, the BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia released a statement on social media, confirming that there had been “no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match” and the senior opener “will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things.”
It is believed that Saikia made this public statement without Agarkar’s knowledge, and that created a massive chasm between the chief selector and the board, where, sources suggested, Agarkar felt “insulted.”
“That was perhaps the day when Ajit knew that it would be very difficult for him to continue. In fact, he had no inkling that a media statement was issued by the BCCI. He understood that going forward, the call on big names won’t be his prerogative,” a senior BCCI official in the know of these developments told PTI.
India attain outstanding success in white-ball cricket under Agarkar
Over the last three years, Agarkar presided over India’s commendable success in white-ball cricket: Asia Cup 2023 winners, World Cup 2023 runner-ups, and winners at T20 World Cup 2024, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Asia Cup 2025, and T20 World Cup 2026.
Agarkar also had to oversee a low period in Test cricket, with India losing at home to New Zealand and South Africa and away to Australia while the Test team went into a transition phase as Rohit, Kohli, and Ashwin retired.
Further, the PTI report added that Agarkar was also slightly at unease by the fact that India are sending their full-strength team to the Asian Games – which includes Bumrah, Iyer, Kishan, Sundar, Axar, and Arshdeep – and play a weaker team in the ODI series against the West Indies.
Who will be the new BCCI chief selector?
As per reports, Parthiv Patel and Pragyan Ojha are the frontrunners to replace Agarkar as the chief selector.
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