Ajit Agarkar did not attend the BCCI evaluation meeting. Secretary Devajit Saikia explains why

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia clarified why Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of the men’s selection committee, was absent from the BCCI’s review meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, September 3.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, captains Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, BCCI president Mithun Manhas and Saikia were among those present at the meeting.

Saikia said Agarkar was out of the station when the meeting was called at short notice. He was unable to attend in person and also unable to join the meeting online because he was in an area with no connection.

“He was out of station today. He could not attend the meeting as this meeting was called at very short notice and our selection committee chief was out of town so he could not join it. He was in such an area that he could not even join online despite his best efforts,” Saikia told reporters after the meeting.

WILL AGARKAR CONTINUE AS THE HEAD OF THE SELECTION COMMITTEE?

Saikia also said that there were no changes in the selection committee. This was earlier reported by India Today BCCI officials are likely to have met Agarkar to discuss whether he will continue in the role.

However, Saikia said the focus of the meeting was on India’s tours of England, Ireland and Sri Lanka along with the team’s upcoming matches.

“There was no discussion in the selection committee. Our whole focus was on England’s performance in England and Ireland as well as the recent Test series in Sri Lanka and what we will do in the upcoming series as well as the World Cup which is our ultimate goal.”

HOW DID INDIA FARE UNDER AGARKAR?

India’s performance under Agarkar’s selection panel has been marked by much ICC success. After reaching the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, India went on to win the 2024 T20 World Cup, ending their long wait for an ICC title.

In 2025, India added the Champions Trophy and remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. However, Agarkar’s tenure also saw setbacks, including a historic home Test series loss to New Zealand and a disappointing Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Australia.

Overall, Agarkar’s tenure featured two major ICC titles, while India also underwent significant selection changes and a challenging transition between formats.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

03 Sep 2026 18:53 IST