Ajit Agarkar to face BCCI's interrogation panel, Gautam Gambhir summoned too

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly reacted to criticism directed at chief selector Ajit Agarkar following India’s home whitewash against South Africa. With India losing two home Test series in 13 months, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar will face questions over the team’s recent Test failures.

Under Gambhir and Agarkar, India have endured two home Test whitewashes. They first lost to New Zealand in 2024 and now to South Africa.

Gambhir has taken most of the blame, and Agarkar’s decisions are also under the scanner, especially as more than 30 players have been played in the Test squad in two years.

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BCCI Plans to Question Ajit Agarkar After Test Debacle

Ajit Agarkar is facing increasing criticism for not attending domestic fixtures, despite being visible at international games. His limited presence at Ranji Trophy matches has widened the gap between selectors and domestic performers.

Players with modest first-class records, such as Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy, were preferred over consistently performing batters like Sarfaraz Khan, Karun Nair and Abhimanyu Easwaran.

A BCCI official said that the board will also question the selectors about India’s Test failures, adding that they rely on digital score updates even when not physically present at matches.

“We will speak to the selectors too (on the Test debacle), and as far as watching domestic games is concerned, every score comes on the app," a BCCI official said while speaking to The Times of India.

Ajit Agarkar’s Presence on Overseas Tours

Ajit Agarkar earlier spoke about how he supported young players like Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Rajat Patidar during the England series in early 2024. But at the same time, he also must take blame for dropping Sarfaraz and Abhimanyu Easwaran from the Test team.

Agarkar has travelled with the Indian team on overseas tours. He was present during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and again during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.

However, he has not watched many domestic Ranji Trophy matches. His last major visit to a Ranji game was in 2024, when Tamil Nadu played Karnataka in Chennai. After that match, Devdutt Padikkal got his first Test call-up.

India’s 0-2 Home Defeat to South Africa Exposes Issues in Test Cricket

India suffered a 0-2 Test series loss at home against South Africa, including their biggest-ever home defeat. The loss exposed many problems the team has been ignoring for a long time. Notably, the team has now lost five out of its last seven home Tests, which is a serious issue that can’t be ignored.

The visiting team played smart cricket, especially their spinners, who used different tactics on the home pitches. However, the Indian bowlers didn’t mix up their bowling, and their batsmen had no plan or patience, leading to poor shot selection even on pitches that weren’t that difficult.

India need to stop making excuses and focus on fixing the basics. This massive loss should be a huge wake-up call for the entire team to make serious, sensible changes.

Also read: BCCI angered by Gautam Gambhir's loudmouth nature, strict action in the offing