Ajit Agarkar: Hero Or Villain? The Invisible Hands Behind India’s Trophy Galore

Ajit Agarkar for India [Source: X]

July 4 2023, was almost 2 years, 8 months and 3 days, and that is the duration ex-India cricketer Ajit Agarkar has served as the chief selector for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Positives during his tenure were scarce. 

Trolls, criticism and selection debates are what most of the cricket fanatics remember him for and yet India is currently scheduled to play the T20 World Cup 2026 Final in Ahmedabad on March 8, 2026.

In all honesty, we often meekly appreciate things that are actually good and gather around to mock or criticise a fault that could have been ignored. A trajectory similar to that has been the time served by Ajit Agarkar as a selector. A story of great decisions, maybe poor at times, yet those which brought in results.

The Road To Agarkar’s BCCI Chief Selector Journey

Ajit Agarkar, a former cricketer, had a vast and prominent domestic and international career and was also a key player in India's 2007 T20 World Cup victory. He also participated in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils before hanging up his boots.

After retiring in 2013, Agarkar transitioned into cricket analysis and commentary and then served as Mumbai's chief selector from 2017 to 2019. He was also the assistant coach for Delhi Capitals in the IPL until 2023 before the big day came.

He was appointed as BCCI's Chairman of the Senior Men’s Selection Committee on July 4, 2023, succeeding Chetan Sharma via a three-member Cricket Advisory Committee. 

Currently, the bowler leads the panel based on his seniority in Test caps, alongside members like Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, and Sridharan Sharath, before his tenure ends in June 2026.

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What India Has Actually Achieved Under Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar's tenure has been marked by controversial selection calls as well as some dazzling wins under his leadership. Though this may sound contradictory, it is the bitter truth.

Since taking over as the BCCI Chairman of the Senior Men's Selection Committee, Agarkar's tenure has been one of the most successful periods in terms of ICC trophies and major tournament performances. Under Agarkar's leadership, the team ended a decade-long ICC trophy drought.

In 2024, India won the T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final. The Men in Blue also bagged the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup in 2025 to underline the dominance of the team in white-ball cricket. In 2023, Men in Blue became the ODI World Cup finalists, though they lost the final to Australia.

Overall, the white-ball dominance has been the marker of success for Ajit Agarkar amidst his turbulent selection calls, under which Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as the long-term T20I captain alongside Shubman Gill, who is now entrusted with the Test and ODI captaincy of the team.

Controversies and debates regarding Ajit Agarkar

However, not only success, but Agarkar's leadership has also seen a series of high-stakes and tough decisions that triggered massive debate among fans and experts. Replacing Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain and preferring Suryakumar Yadav over Hardik Pandya were among the major turning points.

The retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the Test and ODI formats was also imposed during Agarkar's tenure, with fans and experts deliberately underlining his influence in the so-called forced retirements. 

There were also rumours that Ajit Agarkar had real disagreements and arguments with former head coach Rahul Dravid during selection meetings. India is currently ranked the number one team in both the ODI and T20I formats, though the red-ball format is currently suffering under him.

It is a sad truth, yet it cannot be denied that Agarkar's period has had moments of both tough calls as well as successful phases, seeing a balanced squad of teams going for tours, bilateral series and tournaments, while managing both young rising talents as well as veteran stars who would not like to be benched.

Agarkar And The Invisible Hands

Credit must be given where credit is due, and hands down, it is a human fallacy that we often tend to ignore hard things that we do not want to see and brush them under the carpet.

While every loss of India has been blamed on the team management consisting of Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar, behind every successful trophy win, there has also been the crucial contribution of Agarkar, along with the coach and the team captain, with whom the playing XI as well as the squad is built.

Hence, the big brothers are always there to support and bind the team together, even if it is invisible and behind the curtains. Paint them as a hero or a villain, the current pillar of India’s success is built on the decisions taken by men like Agarkar and the management around them.

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