It is all but certain that Ajit Agarkar will not be continuing as the chief selector or the chairman of selectors of the men’s Indian cricket team. He will reportedly not be seeking an extension, with his contract ending in the first week of October.
Ajit Agarkar’s tenure began in July 2023 when he took over the position that was vacated by Chetan Sharma’s premature and unforeseen resignation following his sting operation by a news channel.
The last day of Agarkar’s current tenure is October 4, which means that the meeting where he picked the India squads for the home T20I and ODI matches against the West Indies was, in all likelihood, his last selection meeting in the role.
It is reported that Ajit Agarkar was left unhappy by the BCCI’s intervention in the drama surrounding Rohit Sharma ahead of the Lord’s ODI in England in July.
Nonetheless, over the past three years, Agarkar has been involved in some key processes with regard to the men’s Team India, which included picking squads for the ICC events as well as overseeing the transition of the T20I and Test teams following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin, while also making the tough decision to drop Mohammed Shami and replace Rohit as the ODI skipper.
This period has included some of the lowest of lows in Test cricket, as India lost the home Test series to New Zealand and South Africa and also lost their grip on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a series defeat in Australia.
India, though, have had immense success in white-ball cricket over the last three years with Agarkar presiding as the chief selector; India have become the best and most fearsome team in limited-overs cricket in the world.
List Of Major Tournaments Indian Cricket Team Won With Ajit Agarkar As Chief Selector
Asia Cup 2023
Ajit Agarkar’s first major tournament as the chairman of selectors was the Asia Cup 2023, which was played in ODI format in Sri Lanka. Under Rohit’s captaincy, India won the title, beating Sri Lanka in the final in Colombo.
World Cup 2023 runner-up
India’s loss in the World Cup 2023 final still stings, but Rohit’s team produced one of the most dominating World Cup campaigns over 10 matches until the final against Australia.
Ajit Agarkar had the tough job of picking a 15-man squad, where R Ashwin made a comeback while Axar Patel was dropped. India also had to deal with the injury to Hardik Pandya in the middle of the tournament, which forced changes to the combination.
T20 World Cup 2024
Post the World Cup 2023 final defeat, Agarkar was one of the influential voices who requested Rahul Dravid to continue as the head coach for a few more months.
The triumph at the T20 World Cup 2024 is memorable, as it ended India’s 11-year wait for an ICC trophy and 17-year wait for the T20 crown. India went unbeaten throughout the competition and clinched the title.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025
A left-field call that Ajit Agarkar signed on for the India squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was to call up mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, keeping in mind his T20 form and the Dubai conditions.
That call paid dividends as Chakravarthy picked up a five-for against New Zealand in the group stage, dismissed Travis Head in the semi-final, and then dismissed Will Young and Glenn Phillips in the final, finishing with 9 wickets in only three matches.
India had another rampant campaign and sealed their second consecutive ICC trophy.
Asia Cup 2026
The selection for the T20 format Asia Cup 2026 was made controversial and complicated as Agarkar and Gambhir brought back Shubman Gill in the mix, which meant Sanju Samson was pushed down the order despite piling up centuries as an opener, and later he was dropped from the XI.
Although India mauled everyone and won the continental trophy, Gill’s selection ultimately proved unjustified, and the right-hander was later dropped.
T20 World Cup 2026
Ajit Agarkar presided over a third consecutive ICC trophy victory as India, under Suryakumar Yadav, won the T20 World Cup 2026, becoming the first side to win two consecutive men’s T20 World Cup titles and also the first to do so at home.
Agarkar had done away with Gill and recalled the in-form Ishan Kishan to the squad. India had some hiccups in the tournament, once again fiddling around with Samson, but eventually the Kerala opener blasted three fifties to propel India to the trophy.
Before going out, a major decision made by Ajit Agarkar was to drop Suryakumar Yadav from the T20I team, making it perhaps an unprecedented call where a T20 World Cup-winning captain was dropped immediately after lifting the title. But SKY’s inconsistent and underwhelming batting form had burned away the long rope and backing he’d received from Agarkar.
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