Ajit Agarkar front-runner to become chief selector

In a departure from the tradition of having a selector from each zone, BCCI is set to appoint the former pacer as chairman of selectors

Inaugural T20 World Cup winner and the bowling hero of the 2003 Adelaide Test match, Ajit Agarkar, is set to become Indian men's cricket’s new chairman of selectors. The former fast bowler is the most prominent name to have applied for the top job in response to BCCI’s call for entries, the deadline for which ended on Friday evening.

BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee led by Ashok Malhotra will soon be conducting interviews of shortlisted candidates (Instagram)

BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee led by Ashok Malhotra will soon be conducting interviews of shortlisted candidates. With this being a special case of a single vacancy to be filled, the process could wrap up soon.

The chief selector’s chair has been lying vacant since February following Chetan Sharma's resignation after a sting operation by a TV channel caught him indulging in loose talk against top Indian cricketers. Former Test opener and East Zone selector Shiv Sundar Das has been serving as the interim head.

Agarkar being handed the top post would mean a departure from convention for the BCCI as he would become the second West Zone representative besides Salil Ankola in the five-member committee. If the Indian board goes for zonal equality in the selection committee, a North Zone selector may replace Ankola in the year-ending AGM.

As per the BCCI constitution, the most capped Test cricketer heads the selection committee. Agarkar, for his 26 Test caps becomes the most capped member among the existing group. Subroto Banerjee and S Sharath are the other selectors.

There has been a big disparity in the pay of the selectors and the national team support staff that has been discouraging established cricketers to apply. Before Agarkar applied for the job, Indian board officials had already agreed in principle to raise the chief selector’s pay from the current ₹1 crore per year.

Agarkar was previously in the running for the selector’s job in 2020 but wasn’t shortlisted for interviews after BCCI decided to name former left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi as the chief selector. Joshi was soon superseded by Chetan Sharma. The musical chairs for the all-important post has affected team planning as the Indian team continues to tumble in the knock-out rounds at ICC world events.

It would help that Agarkar comes with modern-day cricket experience— he was the Assistant coach of Delhi Capitals last year, has been a television pundit, and served as the chairman of selectors for the Mumbai Ranji team.

The upcoming ODI World Cup would be the immediate priority for the selectors with the Asia Cup to serve as a dress rehearsal for the big event. Once the selection committee is re-constituted, it would also have to oversee the Test and T20 team’s transition process. India are due to play a total of eight T20Is against Ireland and West Indies in August. This will give the selectors an opportunity to spread the net wide for next year’s T20 World Cup.