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Ajit Agarkar is likely to leave as the head of the selection committee of the men's Indian cricket team. He has served in the position since 2023. Despite many likes and dislikes among cricket fans, it is undeniable that during his tenure, the Indian cricket team has achieved notable success at the highest level of the game, especially in the white-ball formats.
Ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, there were discussions about Ajit Agarkar's contract, which is about to end officially. Will the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials opt to extend his contract again? A cloud of uncertainty surrounds the chief selector for multiple reasons. VVS Laxman is believed to be one of the reasons for Agarkar's present situation in the board.
Distance between Ajit Agarkar and VVS Laxman
Ajit Agarkar and VVS Laxman both used to be teammates under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. Despite sharing the same pitch and dressing rooms for the national side, there are reportedly a lot of differences in their thoughts and points of view. Because of differences in thoughts and opinions between Agarkar and Laxman, the board could have gone against Agarkar's contract extension.
According to a latest PTI report, Agarkar's decision to skip BCCI's review meeting entirely was one of the red flags in his career as the chief selector. After the meeting, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia informed the media that Agarkar was out of station at the time of the meeting and it was not possible for him to participate in the review meeting remotely. The meeting was arranged to discuss Team India's poor performance against Ireland and England.
There could be a war of words during the BCCI review meeting
The Telegraph also shared some insights on the current circumstances around Ajit Agarkar. They have claimed that the absence of Agarkar can be seen as a blessing in disguise, as there could be a war of words between him and his former teammate VVS Laxman, who is working as the head of BCCI's Center of Excellence (CoE).
Why could there be a war of words between Agarkar and Laxman? As individuals, both of them have different opinions and different views; the gap between their views is actually not negligible. The recent team-building process, amid a lot of injury crises, is believed to be one of the reasons why the difference between their thoughts was highlighted the most.
Win at any cost is the mantra of VVS Laxman
A few days ago, it was widely reported that both Laxman and Gautam Gambhir demanded the spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar in their respective teams. Laxman will be in charge of the national team for the Asian Games in Japan, and head coach Gautam Gambhir will be with another set of the team for the West Indies series.
In the previous edition of the Asian Games, India won it by fielding their second team. But Laxman has taken a full-strength team to Japan this year to defend the title, which shows his urgency to win the event without making any fuss.
"If you think that VVS Laxman's urge to win at all costs is anything less than, say, a Virat Kohli or a Sourav Ganguly, then you are mistaken. Whatever the competition, Laxman always wanted the best eleven to play," a former state team coach who has seen Laxman's work ethic at the CoE told the news agency.
