Former All-Rounder Ajit Agarkar To Take Over Vacant Chief Selector Role

Former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar is all set to take over as the chairman of the senior selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that has been vacant since the resignation of former fast bowler Chetan Sharma on February 17 following a sting operation.

According to a report by The Indian Express, BCCI has contacted Agarkar with a promise to increase the annual salary of the chief selector, which is currently Rs 1 crore. After the assurance from the governing body of cricket in India, Agarkar decided to apply and he is the only big name in the list of applicants.

Agarkar also tender his resignation as the assistant coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals on Thursday.

A candidate should have played a minimum of seven Test matches or 30 First Class matches or 10 One Day International matches and 20 First Class matches to apply for the post of selector. The candidate should also have retired from the game at least five years previously. Moreover, no person who has been a member of any Cricket Committee, as defined in the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations of the BCCI, for a total of five years shall be eligible to be a member of the Men’s Selection Committee.

BCCI has decided to revise the annual salary of the chief selector as former players who met the criteria are unwilling to apply as their other sources of income including commentary and studio experts are paying more, reported The Indian Express.

The former Mumbai captain Agarkar represented India in 26 Test matches, 191 ODIs and four T20s and was a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning squad captained by MS Dhoni. It may be noted that he was overlooked by the BCCI in 2020 when he had applied for the post of chief selector.

The other members of the selection panel are paid Rs 90 lakh each per year.

The senior selection committee currently comprises of Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, Sridharan Sharath and Shiv Sundar Das, who filled in as interim chairman after the resignation of Chetan Sharma.

In the sting operation carried out by Zee News, Chetan Sharma was purportedly heard saying that Indian players were taking injections to stay fit. He purportedly also claimed that Hardik Pandya, who captains India in T20s since the T20 World Cup, was a frequent visitor at his house.

Sharma was reappointed in January, this year when the BCCI changed the entire selection panel after India’s exit in the semifinal stage of the T20 World Cup in November.

Also Read: Ajit Agarkar applies for national selector’s post