Ajit Agarkar's Tenure as BCCI Chairman on the Line
Ajit Agarkar’s stint as India’s chairman of selectors is hanging by a thread, and everyone inside Indian cricket seems to know it — even if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not yet ready to say it out loud.
No official decision has been announced, but the mood music from Friday’s Annual General Meeting in Delhi left little room for doubt. The message was clear: Agarkar is unlikely to carry on much longer, and his fate is expected to be sealed by the end of the month.
Fifteen Days, and Counting
The BCCI’s office-bearers have been formally empowered to take the final call, with secretary Devajit Saikia confirming that the clock is ticking.
“We still have 15 days to go. Fifteen days is a long time in the world of cricket. We have time. We will make a decision and, at the appropriate time, we will let you know,” Saikia said after the AGM, choosing his words carefully but leaving little doubt that change is imminent.
He underlined the point again, almost clinically: “We know on which date he is retiring. His tenure is going to be over. There is still 15 days’ time left. So we will make a decision during this 15-day period.”
Agarkar’s current contract is understood to run until October 4. The Board, then, has a clearly defined window — and is in no rush to extend it.
From Quiet Authority to Open Question
For weeks, Agarkar’s future has been the subject of heavy speculation. The BCCI tried to brush off his recent absence from a review meeting earlier this month, where India’s tour of the UK came under the scanner. But that no-show did not go unnoticed in cricket circles.
The real flashpoint, though, came around the Rohit Sharma episode before the Lord’s ODI. The selectors had reportedly informed the former captain that he was not part of the team’s plans. Then the BCCI stepped in. That intervention raised eyebrows and, crucially, raised questions about who actually held the power in selection matters.
From that moment, Agarkar’s position no longer felt secure.
The unease sharpened during a recent selection meeting in Delhi, where squads were picked for the West Indies ODIs, the Irani Cup and the India A teams. On the surface, the meeting unfolded without drama. Behind the scenes, a different narrative began to circulate — that this could be Agarkar’s final selection meeting as chairman.
The process carried on. The speculation did not go away.
Succession Race Begins in the Background
If Agarkar’s tenure does end on schedule, the BCCI will not be able to simply flick a switch and unveil a new chairman the next morning. The Board is bound by its own procedure: an advertisement for the role, applications, scrutiny, interviews. That machinery takes time to grind into motion.
At least a month, insiders believe. Possibly more.
So the Board is already looking at stopgap solutions and long-term options. At this stage, former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has emerged as the frontrunner to eventually take over as chairman. His name has gathered momentum quietly but steadily in recent weeks.
In the interim, there is a strong possibility that Pragyan Ojha, who has played more Tests than any of the other four selectors, could be handed the reins as acting head of the panel. Experience counts in that room, and Ojha’s profile fits the requirement if the Board wants continuity without rushing the permanent appointment.
For now, though, everything circles back to that 15-day window Saikia spoke about.
The contract end date is known. The succession chatter has already begun.
The only thing left is the official word — and in Indian cricket politics, that often arrives last.
