Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chairman of the Senior Men’s Selection Committee will end on October 4, 2026. On September 18, Agarkar conveyed to the BCCI that he does not want an extension to his three-year contract, which began on July 4, 2023. During his time in the role, Agarkar oversaw squad selection for three major ICC tournaments: the ODI World Cup 2023, the T20 World Cup 2024, and the T20 World Cup 2026. Under his watch, India reached the finals of the 50-over World Cup, won the T20 World Cup in both 2024 and 2026, and claimed the Champions Trophy in 2026.
Sunil Gavaskar, the 1983 World Cup winner, has offered a word of caution to whoever takes over the selection committee chair after Agarkar steps down. Gavaskar highlighted the unique pressures that come with the role, particularly the way criticism is directed at the chairman even when decisions may have been made collectively by the entire selection panel.
“There is, of course, the honour of being the Chairman of the national selection committee, but it also comes with a target mark on the back. Like with umpiring, wicketkeeping and now, commentary, the nine good things that have been done will be forgotten, and the one so-called error will be magnified a hundred times and discussed over and over again,” Gavaskar wrote on his column Mid-Day.
How the chairman becomes the target for collective decisions?
The incoming chairman will face a unique challenge in managing the expectations and scrutiny that accompany the role. Gavaskar explained that the chairman often becomes the public face of decisions that may not have been made by him alone, but rather by consensus or pressure from other members of the selection committee.
“The thing that most people tend not to be aware of is that many a decision could be forced on the Chairman by the other selectors, but since he has to front the media, he is the one who gets the blame. So, the mischief makers could be the other selectors, but it’s the Chairman who is singled out for criticism,” Gavaskar wrote.
DDCA joint secretary questions selector appointments
The challenge awaiting the next chairman
Gavaskar’s perspective comes from decades of experience in Indian cricket, both as a player and as a commentator observing the sport’s administration. His warning reflects the reality that the selection committee chairman operates under intense public and media scrutiny, regardless of whether all decisions originate from his own judgment.
“Whoever is going to be the next Chairman, and however great or popular a player he may have been during his playing days, when he has to hang his boots up after his term, he will find there are more minuses, however wrongly perceived, than plusses against his name,” Gavaskar wrote.
The BCCI will take a decision on the vacant position after October 4, with an announcement to follow. Several names have been circulating as potential successors, including Pragyan Ojha, who is widely regarded as a frontrunner for the top selection role. VVS Laxman, who currently heads the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, has also been mentioned as a possible option, as has Parthiv Patel. India’s next major assignment will be a tour of New Zealand, which will include five T20 Internationals, three One-Day Internationals and two Tests.
