Ajit Agarkar Chief selector of Board of Control for Cricket in India during the BCCI Sports Awards held at the Park Hyatt, Hyderabad on the 23rd January 2024. (Sportzpics)It has been more than two years since Ajit Agarkar became the Indian chief selector after taking over the charge in 2023. The last two years have seen Agarkar dealing with coaches like Rahul Dravid, who was the Indian cricket team head coach till June last year, and now Gautam Gambhir, who was appointed the head coach of the Indian team post Dravid’s departure. With the selectors and the Indian team management in limelight in recent months post the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from T20Is last year and Test cricket early this year, Agarkar has been in the thick of action regarding the team management decisions. Recalling some disagreements with former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid, whom he termed as a dear friend, Agarkar has shared how a selector’s job is to make things easier for the coach and captain.
“I mean Rahul Dravid was coach before this — he’s a dear friend — and we’ve had some, I won’t call it bust-ups, but we’ve had some real disagreements with regards to what he wants. But that’s because we are trying to do what’s in the interest of the team. Eventually, it’s our decision to make. Whether it was with Rahul before or Gautam [Gambhir] now, and even with captains — Rohit before this and Shubman now — we discuss things. Our job is to try and give the best possible 15 so that the captain and coach can have their life made a little bit easier. And if you don’t involve them in the discussion, it’ll be foolish,” Agarkar shared while speaking on NDTV World Summit 2025 when asked about the job as chief selector and whether disagreements happen.
BCCI had appointed test captain Shubman Gill as Indian ODI captain earlier this month and the Punjab batsman will be leading Indian for the first time in ODI when India faces Australia in the three-match ODI series starting in Perth on Sunday. With the T20 World Cup happening next year and the 2027 ODI World Cup in 2017, Agarkar shared how he keeps having discussions with Gambhir or Gill and how the selectors have different plans for each of the global events. “Even now when the team’s playing in Australia, I’ll have discussions with Gautam Gambhir or Shubman Gill. There’s a South Africa series immediately to follow. So you’re always constantly trying to see how best you can improve the team. “There’s a T20 World Cup coming. Six to eight months or a year before that, you start planning for it. Then there’s a 50-over World Cup coming, and there’s a WTC cycle which keeps going. So you have different plans for each. Fortunately, we are in a position where we have lots of options. It makes our life a little bit easier, maybe not for fans who want the other player that we don’t pick, but at the moment, we are happy with the way it’s working,” added Agarkar.
Agarkar played in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and four T20I for India during his decade long International career from 1998 to 2007. The former Indian pacer also worked as a commentator post his retirement and when asked about which of the jobs out of being a player, commentator and selector being the easier one, rated being commentator as the easier of the three jobs. “I will probably go with the easier one first. Being a commentator and I mean no disrespect, you still work hard, spend hours on the ground. As long as you get the right words out, your job as a commentator is done and you go home. Playing gives you the most satisfaction. Every time you step on the field, you know your job is on the line, your place is on the line. One thing that goes for you as a player is that the ball or bat is in your hand. As a selector, once you pick a squad of 15, there is nothing else in your hand. It is challenging because of the depth of cricketers we have at the moment. A lot of things are out of your hands. It is a big responsibility. Once you’ve been a player, you know that you are shaping careers. A decision that you make can impact a player’s career in a good or a bad way. You can’t please everyone,” shared Agarkar.
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