Ajit Agarkar: Team Builder

THE LAST TIME the chief selector of the Indian cricket team at­tracted intense curiosity was probably the period in 2013 when Sandeep Patil occupied the post, and the 200th Test match of Sachin Tendulkar was looming not too far in the distance. The ques­tion hanging on the lip of every Indian cricket fan and jumping out from cartoons and headlines in newspapers then wasn’t just directed at Tendulkar—‘would he or would he not call it a day?’, but also at Patil— ‘could he or could he not force that hand?’ Whatever may have transpired behind the scenes, Tendulkar announced his retirement, and Indian cricket moved on.

It is a question that also invariably arises about every decade or so for not just an individual but the team. There may be arguably no Tendulkar-sized players now, nor anyone approaching their late 30s or their 200 Test matches. But the superstars of the last decade are getting older, and talk of a smooth transition plan being set is beginning. Into this interesting space, now comes Ajit Agarkar. The former fast-medium bowler has now been appointed as the new head of the Indian team’s selection panel.

For nearly a decade now, the grouse against the panel, and in particular the post of the chief selector, has been how thin they have been on international experience. MSK Prasad, Sunil Joshi, and Chetan Sharma were not heavyweights in that respect. But if that mattered, it didn’t mean much on the cricket field, because this period coincided with a team that was both settled and at its peak. There was a batting unit that had established itself, world-class spinners, and a pack of new fast bowlers of the sort India hadn’t had before. But that, as it is becoming clear, isn’t the case now.

Agarkar, in comparison, has 221 international games under his belt. He is in fact the most experienced chairman of selectors since Dilip Vengsarkar occupied the position between 2006 and 2008. He is also just 45 years old, and unlike his predecessors, has played T20, and understands the shortest format of the game more intimately. There is his immediate task of putting together a team that can win the 50-over World Cup, just three months away now. But there is also the bigger job of putting forth a long-term vision for the team, one which might require nudging some seniors eventually, while finding the next crop that could replace them smoothly. This vision is what has been missing in recent times. India has had as many as four different stints for its chairman of selectors since the 2019 50-over World Cup. Prasad was replaced by Joshi, who then less than a year later found Sharma taking his post, who then got the boot, along with the rest of the panel, after India crashed out of the 2022 World Cup, only to be reappointed and then sacked again when he became the target of a sting operation. In this period, the team has floundered from one big tournament to the next, their limited overs style of play, especially in the shortest format, has looked outdated and listless, and the team has begun to look sorely in need of some direction and injection of new players.

One cannot help but feel that a pause has also been hit on the big decisions. Hardik Pandya has been serving as the captain of the T20 team for over a year now, and has been found to be more than capable in that role. But he is yet to be declared a captain permanently. Rohit Sharma, by all appearances, still seems to be the captain of the T20 team were he to take the field, but he and Virat Kohli haven’t played a T20 since the team’s semi-final exit at the 2022 T20 World Cup, presumably to keep them fit for this year’s 50-over World Cup. What happens when that tournament concludes and preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup begins? Will they return to the team? What about the Test format, where the team’s celebrated batsmen have been copping criticism for underperforming, and many of whom would be beyond their mid-30s when the World Test Championship final begins?

Agarkar has his task cut out for him. He will need all his experience as he tries to help the team make a successful transition.

Ajit AgarkarChetan SharmaHardik PandyaIndian cricketIndian cricket teamRohit SharmaselectorWorld Cup