Kamal Ghorui
BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar addresses a press conference. (ANI Photo)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) extended men’s senior selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar‘s contract by a year before the 2025 IPL got underway. Agarkar was rewarded for the Indian team’s triumphs in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. A little over a week after India defended their T20 World Cup title at home, the board is understood to have received a request from the former India cricketer to extend his tenure until the 2027 ODI World Cup.TimesofIndia.com has learnt that discussions have already taken place on the matter. It remains to be seen whether the BCCI, lacking a better option for the role, agrees to Agarkar’s request as they approach a crucial phase of the World Test Championship and begin preparations for next year’s 50-over event. BCCI president Mithun Manhas, secretary Devajit Saikia, and Agarkar did not respond to queries. The story will be updated when they do.Strong murmurs within BCCI corridors suggest that another former India cricketer from the West Zone was the front-runner to succeed Agarkar, but there has been no concrete development on that front. Agarkar’s well-timed request, made when the country is riding the euphoria of another ICC title, leaves the ball firmly in the BCCI’s court.
Whether the board grants Agarkar another extension or initiates discussions with a potential candidate remains to be seen.Agarkar has been chairman of the men’s senior selection committee since June 2023, and India have won three ICC titles, two T20 World Cups and one Champions Trophy, during his tenure. However, Test results have been far from ideal, with India losing back-to-back series at home and suffering an away defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This has somewhat dulled the sheen of their white-ball success, where India have lost only two of 33 matches and also won the 2023 and 2025 editions of the Asia Cup.During his tenure, India have undergone transitions across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, while stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Virat Kohli have announced retirements in at least one format. While Kohli and Rohit continue to play ODIs, Ashwin has retired from all formats. Whether Kohli and Rohit will feature in the 2027 World Cup remains a key question.Both chairman Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir have maintained a non-committal stance on the issue.“Look, they [Rohit and Kohli] are part of the squad at the moment for Australia,” Agarkar said at the NDTV World Summit 2025. “In two years’ time, we don’t know what the situation is going to be. So why just them two? It could be some other younger players [who might miss out on the tournament].”“It’s still a long way away. We’ll see how the team shapes up, but we have some ideas, and as we go along we’ll probably have a better idea of where the team is progressing,” he added.Both Agarkar and Gambhir have struck a similar note, repeatedly urging everyone to “stay in the present”. Now that the selector appears willing to look ahead to the tournament, it will be interesting to see how the BCCI responds, and what the future holds for two of India’s greatest cricketers.
