BCCI set to retain Ajit Agarkar as chief selector

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly extended the contract of the All India Men's Senior Selection Committee Chairman Ajit Agarkar. This extension of an additional year in his original two-year stint comes after the board seems to be satisfied in the work Agarkar has done over the last couple of years in picking the Indian men's side across formats, despite the results not being in the team's favour on multiple occasions.

For the unversed, Agarkar had taken over the position as chief selector in July 2023 and has since picked teams for key tournaments like ODI Asia Cup, ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. His latest assignment was when he announced India's squad for the upcoming T20 Asia Cup 2025 on Tuesday, a strong 15-member squad, led by Suryakumar Yadav.

Agarkar has been at the face of criticism from cricket pundits and fans for the exclusion of certain players, who they thought deserved a spot in the side. However, the BCCI will look at the result at the end of the day, and India's performances in the continental tournament will be key to whether Agarkar and his selection panel were right in their decision to pick and drop the said players.

The Agarkar-led selection panel currently includes S Sharath, Shiv Sunder Das, Ajay Ratra, and Subroto Banerjee, of which Sharath is likely to vacate his position, while others are also set to be retained, according to a report in the Indian Express.

“Under his tenure the Indian team had won titles and had seen transition (of the Tests and T20) too. The BCCI had extended his contract till June 2026 and he had accepted the offer a few months back,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying in the same report.

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What's next in store for Agarkar?

With the term now extended till June 2026, Agarkar will be having a few important series and tournaments to pick the Indian team for. The most significant task lying ahead for the Mumbai-born will be to pick the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. He will also be the key to decide the future in ODIs for the star Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Barring the fixtures at the World Cup, India will be playing 18 more T20Is under Agarkar's tenure. They will also be playing a total nine One-Day Internationals, three against Australia in Australia and six at home against South Africa and New Zealand. Furthermore, India are to host the West Indies and the Proteas for a couple of Tests each, starting October 02, 2025.