It marked Agarkar’s first public appearance days after missing a crucial BCCI review meeting in Mumbai. Ajit Agarkar, Chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, was spotted in the stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday to watch the Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and East Zone.
His presence comes after his absence from last Thursday’s review meeting, convened to address recent series losses in England and Ireland, as well as chalk out the roadmap for 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup. Agarkar, sitting alone in the corporate box on day one’s play, monitored the action as several India and domestic stars pressed their cases ahead of upcoming India ‘A’ assignments. “There was no such discussion in the meeting. There was no discussion over the selection committee. Our whole focus was performance in England and Ireland, as well as the recent Test series in Sri Lanka and what we are going to do in the upcoming series, plus the World Cup, which is our ultimate goal,” Saikia added.
Absence of Selection Committee Head Affects Meeting Attendance
The recent high-level review meeting in Mumbai saw the attendance of key figures including head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, BCCI President Mithun Manhas, Joint Secretary Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, and CoE head of cricket VVS Laxman. However, the head of the selection committee, Ajit, was unable to participate due to being out of town and in an area without internet access. Saikia explained that the meeting was scheduled on short notice, which further complicated Ajit’s ability to join, despite efforts to facilitate his participation.
