Ajit Agarkar’s appointment as the chief selector of India’s men’s cricket team is a landmark move in more ways than one. In order to rope in a big name like Agarkar, BCCI did away with their age-old practice of appointing selectors from different zones for equal representation. This time, they looked at the player’s stature instead of the region he belongs to and picked Agarkar, despite there already being another West Zone (Salil Ankola) present in the committee.
One of the biggest reasons behind noted former cricketers not showing interest in becoming a part of India’s senior selection committee was reportedly the below-par remuneration offered by BCCI. The chairperson of India’s senior men’s team gets a yearly remuneration of ₹1 crore while the other four members get ₹90 lakh each. This is considerably low compared to other high-profile jobs related to the men’s team. The BCCI has reportedly promised to rectify even that for Agarkar.
Agarkar is set to get the highest salary as chief selector of the Indian team in recent times. Agarkar, who has been a part of four World Cups and was a member of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2007, earned a hefty amount from corporate events, commentary assignments and television gigs as an expert. He was also the assistant coach of IPL franchise Delhi Capitals. Much like the other ‘big names’ of Indian cricket, his hands were full.
That is where BCCI decided to step up the game. According to reports, Agarkar was the only one interviewed by the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik for the chief selector’s post. And he was contacted by the BCCI with a promise of a higher pay package.
According to Indian Express, a final decision on Agarkar’s remuneration is set to be taken in BCCI’s Apex Council meet on Friday.
Meanwhile, in his first selection committee meeting, Agarkar and the other four selectors Subroto Banerjee, S Sharath, Salil Ankola and SS Das, picked an Indian T20I side looking at the future.
There was no place for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in India’s T20I squad for the five-match series against the West Indies as the new selection committee wants to look ahead. It is learnt that Kohli and Rohit won’t be considered for T20Is unless there is a drastic change. The stalwarts of Indian cricket have not played a T20I ever since last year’s World Cup in Australia.
Youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma earned their maiden call-ups while Avesh Khan, Sanju Samson and Ravi Bishnoi returned to the squad. Another interesting selection was that of Axar Patel ahead of Ravindra Jadeja. However, unlike Kohli or Rohit, it is believed that Jadeja has been rested.
