Former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar is set to become the new BCCI chief selector and will fill the position of BCCI Chief Selector which has been vacant since February this year.
Ajit Agarkar Set to Become New BCCI Chief Selector
On February 17, 2023, Chetan Sharma resigns as BCCI Chief Selector following a controversial sting operation done by a media channel.
The news of Ajit Agarkar as the new BCCI chief selector comes less than a day after one of the IPL teams Delhi Capitals announced that they have parted ways with Shane Watson and Ajit Agarkar.
Agarkar, who had joined the Delhi Capitals coaching staff in 2022 was removed from the post following DC’s unimpressive performance in IPL 2023 edition.
Delhi Capitals who had made it to the playoffs for three seasons in a row from 2019 to 2021, have been unable to finish in the top four for the past two seasons since the league has been stretched to 10 teams from eight.
DC’s recent announcement increased the possibility of Ajit Agarkar becoming the new BCCI Chief Selector. For the unversed, Agarkar had applied for the role back in 2021, however, he was not selected back then.
Chetan Sharma from North Zone became the head of the panel. However, the former fast bowler did not receive backing from the erstwhile Mumbai Cricket Association regime. Furthermore, his appointment would have denied Chetan Sharma the chief job, for which he had backing.
At present, Shiv Sunder Das — former Indian opener — has been named the interim chief selector of the committee also featuring S Sharath (south), Subroto Banerjee (central) and Salil Ankola (west).
The report adds that BCCI have decided to hike the salary of the chairman after failing to attract any of the big names. Even those who were eligible for the post had distanced themselves since they were getting paid better through commentary and studio expert roles. Currently, BCCI pays INR 1 crore(annually) for the Chief Selector.
The two other names that are in contention are Dilip Vengsarkar and Ravi Shastri but it couldn’t be confirmed if they have applied for the job. In case Vengsarkar applies, he will be available only for one year.
Vengsarkar was the chairman of the selectors from 2005 to 2008. Notably, a selector can be on the pane for a maximum of 4 years.
CHECK: BCCI Chief Selector Salary 2023 – Who Can Apply for the Post?
Ajit Agarkar has played 26 Tests, 191 ODI and four T20s for the Indian team. The 45-year-old was part of the Indian team which won the 2007 T20 World Cup under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.
