Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir shared a heartfelt post for Ajit Agarkar, who ended his tenure as the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee last month. Gambhir, who worked closely with Agarkar on selection matters as well as creating the pipeline to funnel young talented players into the team, couldn’t stop praising Agarkar for his work as the selection committee chief. With Agarkar as the chief selector, India won two T20 World Cups and one ICC Champions Trophy. Yet, as Agarkar neared the final phase of his appointment, he became a target for critics. Gambhir, understanding what Agarkar went through in the last few months, wrote in a post for the former pacer, “History will be kinder to you”.
Agarkar’s largely successful tenure as the selection committee chief hit a low point after the much-debated retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket. The controversy thickened after talks of Rohit being phased out of India’s ODI team began, with reports suggesting that Agarkar wanted to give Yashasvi Jaiswal more opportunities at the top of the batting order.
However, the BCCI stepped in, with secretary Davijit Saikia backing Rohit to continue playing for India in the ODI format, at least until the World Cup next year. It was reportedly this point which triggered a divide between the BCCI and Agarkar, prompting the two parties to part ways.
As Gambhir sits down to process the development, there’s no better person to understand the brutalities of the sport that Agarkar was made to go through.
“Dear Ajit Bhai, an absolute honour to work with you. Those 3 ICC trophies are testimony of your conviction: Team first & Team ahead, always… I must say, History will be kinder to you. Thank you for everything. My heartfelt wishes for your future endeavours !!,” Gambhir wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Dear Ajit Bhai, an absolute honour to work with you. Those 3 ICC trophies are testimony of your conviction: Team first & Team ahead, always.. I must say, History will be kinder to you. Thank you for everything. My heartfelt wishes for your future endeavours !! https://t.co/gYQN0fea8X
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) October 7, 2026
The post soon went viral on social media, with fans discussing the deeper meaning behind what Gambhir wrote for Agarkar.
Ajit Agarkar’s Tenure As BCCI Chief Selector:
Having assumed charge in July 2023, Agarkar oversaw a golden era that saw India reach the 2023 ODI World Cup final before clinching the 2024 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy, and the 2026 T20 World Cup. His final assignment was selecting the white-ball squads for the ongoing white-ball series against the West Indies.
For now, former India spinner Pragyan Ojha has taken charge as acting chairman and presided over the squad selection for the five T20Is against New Zealand and three India A games. The existing panel comprises Ojha, Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra, and RP Singh.
The BCCI protocol dictates that the selector with the most Test caps assumes the chairmanship. Ojha, who featured in 24 Tests for India, currently holds seniority within the panel. According to the BCCI, the candidate who will replace Agarkar from the West Zone will participate in long-term squad planning, talent identification, domestic match monitoring, and strategy meetings.
Applicants must have played a minimum of seven Tests, 30 first-class matches, or 10 ODIs along with 20 first-class games, besides having retired at least five years ago, with the deadline to submit applications falling on October 14.
With IANS Inputs