Ajit Agarkar, BCCI’s new chief selector for men’s senior team

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday appointed former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar as the Chairman of the Senior Men’s Selection Committee. The three-member CAC has unanimously recommended Ajit Agarkar for the said position.

BCCI in an official statement announced, “The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Ms Sulakshana Naik, Mr Ashok Malhotra, and Mr Jatin Paranjape, interviewed applicants for the position of one selector in the Men’s Selection Committee. The three-member CAC has unanimously recommended Mr Ajit Agarkar for the said position.”

After the decision of the committee, Agarkar has been recommended for the role of Chairperson of the Men’s Selection Committee based on seniority (total number of Test matches).

Notably, Agarkar is the senior member of the panel and according to the BCCI rules became its chairman. Here, the first task of Agarkar will be selecting the side for the five T20I against West Indies, which is scheduled to start on August 3, and also selecting a second-string team for the upcoming Asian Games.

A Glimpse at Ajit Agarkar’s Career

The former all-rounder for India played 110 first-class, 270 List A, and 62 T20 matches in addition to 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and four T20 Internationals in which he represented his nation. He was a former fast bowler who played for India’s winning team in the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa. His 21-ball fifty against Zimbabwe in 2000 still stands as the fastest half-century by an Indian hitter in an ODI. For almost ten years, he also held the record for the quickest 50 ODI wickets, reaching the mark in just 23 games.

After finishing his playing career, he was hired as the Chief Selector for the senior Mumbai Team and began working with the Delhi Capitals as a coach.