2 min readOct 7, 2026 01:23 PM IST
Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chief selector at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been quite a mixed one. He won silverware but also drew heavy criticism for the tough calls he made. Taking the reins in July 2023, Agarkar’s tenure officially ended on Tuesday, with the BCCI calling for applications. Head coach Gautam Gambhir lauded Agarkar and praised his conviction.
“Dear Ajit Bhai, an absolute honour to work with you. Those 3 ICC trophies are a testimony of your conviction: Team first & Team ahead, always… I must say, History will be kinder to you. Thank you for everything. My heartfelt wishes for your future endeavours !!,” Gambhir wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
It was not just Gambhir earlier; former Indian cricketer R Ashwin, on his YouTube channel, was empathetic to Agarkar’s situation as the selector.
“The fact is that Ajit Agarkar had the responsibility to take a lot of big decisions in this stint; he had to phase out the senior players, and it cannot be easy. I was one of the senior players phased out during his tenure, but still by keeping some distance from that, I want to say that he has been a very good chairman of selectors. If we look at what all he has done with the team,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
During Agarkar’s tenure, India reached the final of the ODI World Cup before winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. India also retained the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
“Agarkar didn’t ask for an extension. As there was no interest from his side, the BCCI has decided to look for a new chief selector,” a source told The Indian Express at the time.
This paper had reported in August that BCCI officials would meet Agarkar to discuss a one-year extension to his term after India tours Sri Lanka amid differences over Rohit Sharma’s ODI future in the lead-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
