It’s no longer a secret that Ajit Agarkar is on his way out as the chairman of the selection committee, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has begun the process to appoint his successor. Several names are doing the rounds as potential replacements for the former India pacer; however, Sunil Gavaskar has a word of caution for whoever takes up the role next month. The new chairman of selectors would be tasked with picking the team for the New Zealand tour, where India will play five T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.
The 1983 World Cup winner stated that the high-profile job comes with its own challenges, and the individual chosen ends up burning bridges with several players as he has the hard task of choosing the squad, which eventually leads to some deserving candidates being left out because of the competition for spots in Indian cricket.
Gavaskar further added that sometimes the “mischief makers” are the other selectors, but it’s the chairman who ends up facing brickbats.
“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 in his column for Mid-Day.
“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,” he added.
Agarkar’s tenure
Agarkar, the former India pacer, had taken over as the chairman of the selection committee in 2023, and under his reign, India reached the finals of the 50-over World Cup and won the T20 World Cup in 2024 and 2026, as well as the Champions Trophy in 2026.
Gavaskar stated that whoever becomes the next chief selector will eventually be judged for his mistakes rather than the right calls he makes. The BCCI are expected to officially announce Agarkar’s replacement next month.
“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,” wrote Gavaskar.
