Who is Ajit Agarkar? All you need to know about the Indian Cricket Team's new chairman of selectors

Ajit Agarkar was part of the Indian team which won the 2007 T20 World Cup and jointly won the 2002 Champions Trophy.

Former India fast-bowling all-rounder Ajit Agarkar has been appointed as the chairman of selectors for India's men's cricket team by the BCCI on July 4, 2023.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra, and Jatin Paranjape, interviewed applicants for the position of one selector in the Men's Selection Committee. The three-member CAC has unanimously recommended Ajit Agarkar for the said position.

He'll be taking over a post that has been vacant since Chetan Sharma's unceremonious exit in February. Following Agarkar's appointment, there will be two selectors from the West Zone, with Salil Ankola being the other.

Ajit Agarkar has experience being chairman of the selection panel, as he headed the post for the Mumbai Cricket Association twice in 2017 and 2019. He was the assistant coach of the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, post which the two sides parted ways when reports of Agarkar being the front runner for the BCCI chairman of selection began doing rounds.  

Ajit Agarkar and his performances for the Indian team

The right-arm pacer from Mumbai made his debut for India in 1998 and went on to play 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and 4 T20Is for the team till 2007. He was also part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning Indian team.

Ajit Agarkar picked up 58 wickets in 26 Tests while finishing with 288 wickets in ODIs. He played just 4 T20Is, picking only 3 wickets. He was the first Indian to take a wicket off his first ball in T20I cricket, a feat he achieve against South Africa in India’s inaugural 20-over international match in 2007.

Agarkar holds the record for the fastest half-century in ODI cricket by an Indian off 21 balls, a feat he achieved in 2000 in a match against Zimbabwe. Apart from this, he is also amongst the handful of Indian batters to hit a century at the historic Lord’s Ground which came in 2002.

Apart from this, he was part of the Indian squads for the 1999, 2003, and 2007 World Cup tournaments. And he was also in the Indian team which won the 2002 Champions Trophy, jointly with Sri Lanka.

Early in his career, Agarkar broke Dennis Lillee's world record for the fastest 50 wickets in ODIs, achieving the feat from only 23 matches. He held the record from 1998 until 2009 when Ajantha Mendis achieved the feat from just 19 matches.

He is currently the 3rd highest wicket-taker (288) for India in ODIs after Javagal Srinath (315) and Anil Kumble (337).

The pacer also had a decent career in the Indian Premier League, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils. He played 42 matches and picked 29 wickets with a best of 3/25.

Agarkar retired from all cricket in 2013 after leading the Mumbai side to the Ranji Trophy win that season.