Ajit Agarkar with India head coach Gautam Gambhir (Source: AFP)According to recent reports, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar is set to select India’s squad for the West Indies series, scheduled for later this month.This is reportedly his final assignment, as his tenure as chairman of the senior men’s selection committee approaches its end.Ajit Agarkar’s Tenure as Chief SelectorAjit Agarkar was appointed chairman of the senior men's selection committee on 4 July 2023, after the Cricket Advisory Committee recommended him for the position. He replaced Chetan Sharma as head of the Indian selection panel.Also read: Indian Selectors Who Were Sacked By BCCIHis original contract was subsequently renewed, and in April 2026, the BCCI renewed it for another year. The renewal kept Agarkar in charge until September 2026, as the board looked towards the ODI World Cup 2027.As his tenure nears its end, let’s look at the series and tournaments India played under Ajit Agarkar as chief selector, along with the results.Suspense looms over Ajit Agarkar’s time as head of the selection committeeNotably, the uncertainty over his future has increased in recent weeks. Agarkar was absent from the BCCI's review meeting in Mumbai on 3 September, which head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer and BCCI Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman attended.BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia later said Agarkar was out of town when the meeting was called at short notice and could not join online because of connectivity issues."Today he was out of station. He could not be a part of the meeting because this meeting was called at a very short notice, and our head of the selection committee was not in town, so he could not join it.”“He was in such an area that he could not join online also, in spite of all these efforts,” Saikia had told reporters after the meeting in Mumbai.The uncertainty surrounding Ajit Agarkar's future as the Indian chief selector also follows a period when the handling of Rohit Sharma's ODI future drew considerable attention.All series and tournaments India played during Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chief selectorIndia vs West Indies 2 Tests 2023- India Won 1-0India vs West Indies 3 ODIs 2023- India Won 2-1Asia Cup 2023 (ODIs)- India WonIndia vs West Indies 5 T20Is 2023- India Won 3-2India vs Ireland 3 T20Is 2023- India Won 2-0India vs South Africa 2 Tests 2023-24- India-South Africa Drew (1-1)India vs Australia 3 ODIs 2023- India Won 2-1ICC World Cup 2023- India runners-upIndia vs South Africa 3 ODIs 2023- India Won 2-1India vs Australia 5 T20Is 2023- India Won 4-1India vs South Africa 3 T20Is 2023- 1-1 DrawIndia vs Afghanistan 3 T20Is 2024- India Won 3-0India vs England 5 Tests 2024- India Won 4-1India vs England 5 T20Is 2024- India Won 4-1ICC T20 World Cup 2024- India WonIndia vs Zimbabwe 5 T20Is 2024- India Won 4-1India vs Sri Lanka 3 T20Is 2024- India Won 3-0India vs Sri Lanka 3 ODIs 2024- Sri Lanka Won 2-0India vs Bangladesh 2 Tests 2024- India Won 2-0India vs Bangladesh 3 T20Is 2024- India Won 3-0India vs New Zealand 3 Tests 2024- New Zealand Won 3-0India vs South Africa 4 T20Is 2024- India Won 3-1India vs Australia BGT 5 Tests 2024-25- Australia Won 3-1India vs England 3 ODIs 2025- India Won 3-0ICC Champions Trophy 2025- India WonIndia vs England 5 Tests 2025- 2-2 DrawAsia Cup 2025- India WinnerIndia vs West Indies 2 Tests 2025- India Won 2-0India vs Australia 3 ODIs 2025- Australia Won 2-1India vs Australia 5 T20Is 2025- India Won 3-1India vs South Africa 2 Tests 2025- India Won 2-0India vs South Africa 3 ODIs 2025- India Won 2-1India vs New Zealand 3 ODIs 2025- New Zealand Won 2-1India vs New Zealand 5 T20Is 2026- India Won 4-1ICC T20 World Cup 2026- India WonIndia vs Afghanistan 1 Test 2026- India Won 1-0India vs Afghanistan 3 ODIs 2026- India Won 3-0India vs Ireland 2 T20Is 2026- Ireland Won 2-0India vs England 5 T20Is 2026- England Won 4-0India vs England 3 ODIs 2026- England Won 2-1India vs Zimbabwe 3 T20Is 2026- India Won 3-0India vs Sri Lanka 2 Tests 2026- India Won 1-0India vs Afghanistan 3 T20Is 2026- India Leading 2-0India vs Japan One-Off T20I- Yet To Be PlayedAsian Games 2026- Yet To Be PlayedIndia vs West Indies 3 ODIs 2026- Squad and Results Yet To Be AnnouncedIndia vs West Indies 5 T20Is- Squad And Results Yet to be AnnouncedWhy isn't the BCCI extending Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chief selector?Sitting on the selector’s seat in a country that is mad for the sport is never easy. Since taking charge, Agarkar too has faced his share of scrutiny for taking unconventional calls.Under his tenure, India reached the 2023 ODI World Cup final, won the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups, and added another ICC title by winning the 2025 Champions Trophy, along with the 2023 and 2025 Asia Cups.Beyond the silverware, Agarkar has also laid the foundation for the future, backing several young and promising cricketers. Players such as Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna are among the who have received consistent backing. At the same time, several squad selections have raised some eyebrows among experts. One of the major talking points has been the BCCI’s decision not to pick pacer Auqib Nabi despite a phenomenal domestic season, picking up 60 wickets in just 10 matches in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season.Along with Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan’s continued snub from the India Test team, despite maintaining an exceptional first-class cricket average of 64.73 in 62 matches, has been publicly questioned by former cricketers like Dilip Vengsarkar.Some have also noted the inconsistency of squads and the unexpected treatment of senior players like Mohammad Shami, disguised as the idea of backing the young generation. On top of that, below are some of India’s shunned series results that further led to the end of the road for Agarkar’s tenure. Unwanted series outcomes that led to BCCI’s fall in trust with Ajit Agarkar1) India vs New Zealand 3 Tests 2024- New Zealand Won 3-0Rohit Sharma-led India faced an unprecedented 3-0 series sweep at home at the hands of New Zealand. This was the first time in 24 years that India were blanked at home, back in 2000.The whitewash at home did not go down well, as India entered the series as an invincible side, having lost only 2 home Tests in the last two years.2) India vs Australia BGT 5 Tests 2024-25- Australia Won 3-1Despite the recent 3-0 loss against New Zealand, India showed good spirits in the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. But what followed was India’s 3-1 loss in the series, which left fans and experts puzzled.Notably, one of the most debated aspects of India’s performance was their team selection. The inclusion of players like Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy raised eyebrows.It was noted that, while Sundar’s all-round abilities could have been beneficial on the right surface, other players could've made the cut as well. Similarly, Reddy, selected as a backup option, could've been replaced by a dedicated bowler or batter in the squad.3) India vs Australia 3 ODIs 2025- Australia Won 2-1India lost the three-match ODI series 1-2 to Australia in October 2025 under the new captain Shubman Gill.Once again, the team management was questioned for preferring Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav for added batting depth, a choice that drew heavy criticism from experts like Mohammad Kaif and former players who argued for genuine wicket-takers.4) India vs New Zealand 3 ODIs 2025-26- New Zealand Won 2-1New Zealand clinched their first-ever ODI series win in India, just two years on from their historic 3-0 Test series win.This series loss marked one of the darkest chapters in Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as Chief Selector. Although here the selectors were less responsible, as the bowling, especially the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, failed to make an impact. 5) Disastrous UK Tour, Losing to Ireland and EnglandDays after winning the 2026 T20 World Cup, India, under a new captain, Shreyas Iyer, the national side suffered eight losses across nine white-ball fixtures in June and July during a disastrous summer tour of the United Kingdom.India began their campaign against Ireland in Belfast, dropping both Twenty20 International matches despite entering as world champions. Subsequent fixtures in England proved equally dismal.The five-match T20l series ended 4-1 after England secured four victories and one match was washed out. The following ODI series brought further disappointment as India lost 2-1, bringing their overall record to eight defeats in nine full white-ball games.After the dismal outcomes, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia emphasised that India needs to have the best team combination in the months of October and November next year, in the ODI World Cup.He also said the board has already thought through the way forward, reflecting the importance of team preparation going ahead.Also read: Imam ul Haq, Mohammad Rizwan’s Phones Sent For Further Forensic Investigation After Round 1
