Did BCCI compromise with important rule while appointing Ajit Agarkar as chief selector?

Former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar was appointed as the Chairman of Senior Men’s Selection Committee by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday. Agarkar was chosen for the role, months after it was made vacant by Chetan Sharma. His first assignment as the Chairman of Selectors will be to decide on India’s squad for the five-match T20I series against West Indies.

3 Things You Need To Know

• Ajit Agarkar played a total of 191 ODIs, 26 Tests, and 4 T20Is for the Indian cricket team
• Agarkar previously served as the Chief Selector for the senior Mumbai Team
• He also undertook the coaching responsibilities for DC in the IPL

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Ajit Agarkar gets appointed as Chairman of the Senior Men’s Selection Committee

On Tuesday, BCCI announced the appointment of the former India all-rounder as the Chairperson of the Men’s Selection Committee. BCCI put out a media advisory on the same which read, “The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Ms Sulakshana Naik, Mr Ashok Malhotra, and Mr Jatin Paranjape, interviewed applicants for the position of one selector in the Men's Selection Committee. The three-member CAC has unanimously recommended Mr Ajit Agarkar for the said position”.

Did BCCI breach any rules to appoint Ajit Agarkar for the role?

It has been a common practice by the Indian cricket board to appoint five selectors from the five zones in India, the North Zone, Central Zone, South Zone, East Zone, and West Zone. However, Agarkar who belongs to the West Zone, will now head a committee comprising of Subroto Banerjee (Central Zone), S Sharath (South Zone), SS Das (East Zone), and Salil Ankola (West Zone). This became a major talking point for cricket enthusiasts in India, who were under the impression that a representative from the North Zone should have been the replacement for Chetan Sharma.

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However, as no-other high-profile candidates from the North Zone applied for the chief selector’s post, Agarkar was considered for the role. It is worth noting that the BCCI did not break any rule by doing so, as it was just an age-old practice to appoint five selectors from five zones. As for the speculations about BCCI breaking rules, there is no such law or role related to the selectors’ appointment on the basis of zones.