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Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as the chairman of the Indian selection committee is all set to come to an end, and the BCCI has already started looking for his replacement. Several names are being discussed for the top position, but Sunil Gavaskar has shared a warning for the person who takes charge next.
The new chairman will have a very difficult job from the start. The first major task will be selecting India’s squads for the New Zealand tour, which includes five T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests. With so many talented players fighting for places, some deserving names will have to miss out. Earlier, Virat Kohli recalls trauma of India's 2019 World Cup heartbreak.
Sunil Gavaskar explains the heavy price of being India’s chief selector
Sunil Gavaskar said that being the chairman of the Indian selection committee is a prestigious job, but it also brings a lot of pressure. The former Indian captain has pointed out that a selector can make many good decisions, but one controversial call can become the biggest talking point.
Indirectly defending Ajit Agarkar, the legendary batter said that this happens because people often forget so many good things and focus heavily on the one mistake.
Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day: “There is, of course, the honor of being the Chairman of the national selection committee, but it also comes with a target mark on the back. Like with umpiring, wicketkeeping, and now, commentary, the nine good things that have been done will be forgotten, and the one so-called error will be magnified a hundred times and discussed over and over again.”
Sunil Gavaskar calls out selectors over chief selector’s unfair blame
Gavaskar also pointed out that the decisions are not taken only by the chairman, yet he has to face most of the criticism from fans, experts, and the media whenever a selection decision does not work out. He slammed the selectors for not taking accountability.
The 1983 World Cup winner shared, “The thing that most people tend not to be aware of is that many a decision could be forced on the chairman by the other selectors, but since he has to front the media, he is the one who gets the blame.
So, the mischief makers could be the other selectors, but it’s the chairman who is singled out for criticism.” Amid this, Ravi Shastri sends warning to those targeting Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli.
Sunil Gavaskar’s sends big warning to Ajit Agarkar’s successor
Ajit Agarkar took charge as chairman of the selection committee in 2023. During his tenure, India reached the 2023 ODI World Cup final and then won the T20 World Cup in 2024. The team also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2026 and another T20 World Cup in 2026.
Despite these achievements, Gavaskar believes that the next chairman should be prepared for plenty of criticism. He feels that when a chairman finishes his term, people may remember his mistakes more than his successful decisions.
He added, “Whoever is going to be the next chairman, and however great or popular a player he may have been during his playing days, when he has to hang his boots up after his term, he will find there are more minuses, however wrongly perceived, than plusses against his name.”
