"We had some real disagreements…"- Ajit Agarkar breaks silence on clashes with Rahul Dravid during selection meetings

Ajit Agarkar revealed he had many disagreements with former India head coach Rahul Dravid.

Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector of Indian Cricket Team, has revealed that he had several disagreements with former India head coach Rahul Dravid. Agarkar was appointed as the chairman of selectors in July 2023 when Dravid was the head coach of India.

While Agarkar has done a commendable job as India’s chief selector for the last two years, he has also faced the wrath of fans and many former Indian cricketers over his selection calls. For instance, he was heavily criticised for overlooking Shreyas Iyer for Asia Cup 2025 despite the latter’s brilliant show in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

Moreover, when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their sudden retirement from test cricket in May, many fans blamed Agarkar for the cause behind the incident. Ahead of India’s tour of Australia 2025, the former Indian seamer was slammed for overlooking Sanju Samson in the ODI squad and picking uncapped Dhruv Jurel as the secondary wicket-keeper.

Ajit Agarkar reveals he had many disagreements with Rahul Dravid

Speaking during NDTV World Summit on Friday, October 17, Agarkar revealed that he had many disagreements with Dravid during selection meetings. However, he also noted that both of them had the best intentions for Indian Cricket Team.

“I mean Rahul Dravid was coach before this – he’s a dear friend – and we’ve had some, I won’t call it bust-ups, but we’ve had some real disagreements with regards to what he wants. But that’s because we are trying to do what’s in the interest of the team,” he said.

Agarkar also noted that disagreements between selectors and coach or captain are bound to happen as they need to be part of the discussion in selection meetings.

“Eventually, it’s our decision to make. Whether it was with Rahul before or Gautam [Gambhir] now, and even with captains – Rohit before this and Shubman now – we discuss things. Our job is to try and give the best possible 15 so that the captain and coach can have their life made a little bit easier. And if you don’t involve them in the discussion, it’ll be foolish,” he added.

Dravid, who guided India to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 win, has always been perceived as a calm person in Indian cricket, however, he reportedly got engaged in heated arguments with Agarkar during his tenure as head coach. After Dravid quit as India head coach in June 2024, Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the next coach in July 2024.

Under Gambhir’s tenure, Indian Cricket Team witnessed a big transition with youngster Shubman Gill taking over the leadership in tests and ODIs. Moreover, legends like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin announced their retirement from test cricket. Gill, who was appointed as ODI captain earlier this month, will commence his first assignment in the upcoming series against Australia.

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