BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar addresses a press conference. (NOT a photo)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has extended the contract of men’s selectors Ajit Agarkar by a year ahead of the start of IPL 2025. Agarkar was rewarded for the Indian team’s triumphs in the T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025. Just over a week after India defended their T20 World Cup title at home, the board received a request from the former Indian cricketer to extend his tenure to to the 2027 ODI World Cup.TimesofIndia.com has learned that there have already been discussions on the matter. It remains to be seen whether the BCCI, lacking a better option for the role, agrees to Agarkar’s request as the crucial stage of the Test World Cup approaches and begins preparations for next year’s 50-over event. BCCI president Mithun Manhas, secretary Devajit Saikia and Agarkar did not respond to queries. The story will be updated once they do.Loud murmurs in the corridors of the BCCI suggest that another former West Zone Indian cricketer has been the frontrunner to succeed Agarkar, but there have been no concrete developments on that front. Agarkar’s well-timed request, made at a time when the country is enjoying the euphoria of yet another ICC title, leaves the ball firmly in the BCCI’s court.It remains to be seen whether the board will grant Agarkar another extension or begin discussions with a potential candidate.Agarkar has been the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee since June 2023 and India have won three ICC titles, two T20 World Cups and one Champions Trophy during his tenure. However, the Test results were far from ideal, with India losing back-to-back series at home and suffering an away defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This somewhat dulled the luster of their white-ball success, where India lost only two of 33 matches and also won the 2023 and 2025 editions of the Asia Cup.During his tenure, India went through transitions between Tests, ODIs and T20Is, while stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli announced retirement in at least one format. While Kohli and Rohit continue to play ODIs, Ashwin has retired from all formats. The key question remains whether Kohli and Rohit will feature in the 2027 World Cup.Both chairman Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir have maintained a non-committal stance on the issue.“Look, they (Rohit and Kohli) are part of the team for Australia at the moment,” Agarkar said at the NDTV World Summit 2025. “In two years, we don’t know what the situation will be. So why those two? It could be some other younger players (who might miss the tournament).”“It’s still a long way off. We’ll see how the team shapes up, but we have some ideas and over time we’ll probably have a better idea of where the team is going,” he added.Both Agarkar and Gambhir struck a similar note, repeatedly urging everyone to “stay in the present”. Now that the selector seems willing to look ahead to the tournament, it will be interesting to see how the BCCI reacts and what the future holds for two of India’s greatest cricketers.The electors are reviewed annually at the BCCI AGM and the last committee to complete its tenure – 3+1 years – was the MSK Prasad committee, which also included Sarandeep Singh, Gagan Khoda, Devang Gandhi and Jatin Paranjape.
