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Ajit Agarkar has parted ways with Delhi Capitals on Thursday. (IPL) Former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar is all set to become the chairman of the senior selection committee of BCCI, a post that has been vacant since February 17 when former fast bowler Chetan Sharma resigned after he was at the centre of a sting operation.
BCCI officials contacted Agarkar with a promise to increase the annual salary of the chief selector, which is currently Rs 1 crore. Agarkar then decided to apply and he is the only big name in the list of applicants. He quit his role as assistant coach of IPL team Delhi Capitals on Thursday. Interestingly, in 2020, BCCI had not picked Agarkar when he had applied for the selector’s post.
The other members of the selection panel are paid Rs 90 lakh each per year.
The Indian Express has learnt that the BCCI has decided to revise the annual salary of the chief selector because former players who met the criteria for the post were unwilling to apply as their other sources of income, like from commentary and as studio experts were better paying.
Former Mumbai captain Agarkar played 26 Tests, 191 ODI and four T20s for India. He was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team which was captained by MS Dhoni.
The current members of the senior selection committee are Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, Sridharan Sharath and Shiv Sundar Das, who has filled in as interim chairman after former Sharma resigned in February.
To apply for the post of selector, a candidate should have played a minimum of 7 Test matches or 30 First Class matches or 10 One Day International matches and 20 First Class matches. He/she should also have retired from the game at least 5 years previously. No person who has been a member of any Cricket Committee (as defined in the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations of BCCI) for a total of five years shall be eligible to be a member of Men’s Selection Committee.
In the sting operation by Zee News, Sharma was purportedly heard saying that Indian players were taking injections to stay fit. He also purportedly claimed that Hardik Pandya, who has been captaining India in the T20Is since the T20 World Cup, was a frequent visitor at his house. When the BCCI changed the entire selection panel following Team India’s exit in the semifinal stage of the T20 World Cup in November, Sharma was re-appointed in January this year.
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