New Delhi: Gautam Gambhir led the tributes for Ajit Agarkar on Wednesday, posting an emotional farewell message for the outgoing chairman of selectors as Indian cricket turned the page on one of its most successful administrative eras.
Agarkar’s tenure, which concluded on October 3, coincided with a golden run for the men’s team. Under his committee’s watch, India lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup — three ICC titles that set a benchmark few selection panels in the country’s history can match.
Gambhir, who worked closely with Agarkar through a period of generational transition, thanked the former India pacer for his honesty and clarity in decision-making and wished him well for the future. The head coach’s message underlined the trust between the dressing room and the selection panel during a phase when several big calls could easily have gone the other way.
Bold calls defined the Agarkar era
If Agarkar’s committee is remembered for one thing, it will be its courage. The decision to hand Suryakumar Yadav the T20I captaincy ahead of Hardik Pandya was the most debated selection call of recent years, dividing opinion among fans and pundits alike. India’s subsequent dominance in the shortest format — crowned by the 2026 T20 World Cup triumph — turned that gamble into a masterstroke.
There were other hard calls. Rinku Singh, one of the most destructive finishers in the IPL, found himself omitted from key squads as the panel backed specific roles and combinations over reputation. Mohammed Shami’s push for a comeback was politely but firmly shut down, with the selectors choosing to invest in younger fast-bowling stocks instead. None of these decisions was popular at the time; all of them were owned without flinching.
That willingness to absorb criticism became the committee’s signature. In an era of instant outrage on social media, Agarkar’s panel rarely explained itself beyond the essentials — and let results do the talking.
What comes next
The BCCI has invited applications to fill the vacancy on the selection committee, with former left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha serving as interim chairman. Ojha has already overseen key meetings, including the selection panel’s Guwahati sitting for the New Zealand tour squads, where Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s surprise recall earned Dinesh Karthik’s public praise.
Whoever takes the chair permanently inherits a team at the very summit of world cricket — and the unenviable task of following a three-trophy act. Agarkar’s successor will discover quickly that in Indian cricket, the only thing harder than winning is winning again.
