The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to extend Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, with his new contract likely to run until June 2027. His current deal was due to expire later this year, but with the ODI World Cup scheduled for October-November 2027, the board has opted to continue with the man in charge.
It was a pending news, considering Agarkar’s current contract is about to end. However, the extension isn’t a surprise, considering a highly successful white-ball phase under Agarkar, during which India ended their ICC trophy drought and rebuilt the squad with a younger core in T20Is. In fact, India have won three major ICC titles with Agarkar being the chief selector. BCCI is looking to reward Agarkar, as per IndianExpress.
Ajit Agarkar, the unapplauded director
Agarkar took charge in July 2023 at a time when Indian cricket was entering a transition phase. What followed was a mix of risk-taking and long-term planning that has largely paid off in white-ball formats.
India reached the ODI World Cup final in 2023 and then went on to win back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026, along with the Champions Trophy in 2025. That run alone has made his tenure one of the most successful for a chief selector in recent times. But it isn’t just about results. Agarkar has made some tough calls and has endured some criticisms only to prove his critics wrong.
He pushed for a leadership change by backing Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain over Hardik Pandya. The decision was made after taking suggestions from the former captain and coach duo of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. In Tests and ODIs, Shubman Gill was fast-tracked as the captain as well. While Rohit is still playing the 50-over format, Agarkar made Gill the leader early so that he could learn from the experienced pros still there.
India’s international record since Agarkar’s appointment
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | NR | W/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152 | 105 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2.916 |
At the same time, the toughest challenge for Agarkar was the red-ball transition. Senior stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin all retired in a short span. Hence, transitioning youngsters in Tests is always a tough task.
Agarkar has also been open to changing his mind about decisions. It was clear when Ishan Kishan was called back to the 2026 T20 World Cup after being out of favour for a while. The call came after performances in the domestic circuit and Agarkar pushed it through even though the panel was hesitant at first. It came as a shocker when his management dropped Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma for Rinku Singh and Kishan, but the move made sense and turned out to be successful.
What lies ahead for Agarkar?
Agarkar’s original contract was set to run until mid-2026, but the board has decided to extend it by a year to align with the ODI World Cup cycle. The presence of relatively new selectors like RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha has also played a role, with the BCCI keen to maintain stability in the selection panel.
“Under Agarkar’s tenure, the team had a seamless transition and was fearless in taking bold decisions. The board felt he should continue. The BCCI officer bearers will be speaking to him on the sidelines of IPL games to update him,” a BCCI official said to Indian Express.
The biggest challenge is certainly red-ball cricket. While India have dominated in white-ball formats, their Test performances have been extremely poor, including home series defeats to New Zealand and South Africa. But in a long-term investment view, the BCCI is planning to groom youngsters for red-ball cricket as well.
Cricket
BCCI to reward Ajit Agarkar with chief selector contract extension till ODI World Cup 2027
