3 things Ajit Agarkar will need to change if he becomes BCCI chairman of selectors
Ajit Agarkar has quit his role as assistant coach of the Delhi Capitals franchise and has applied for a position in the BCCI selection committee. The former Indian pacer is likely to become the next chairman of the selection committee, a post which has been vacant since Chetan Sharma resigned in February.
Agarkar has picked up 349 wickets in 221 international matches and was a part of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2007. He played international cricket for almost a decade and was a part of the Indian team that won matches both at home and abroad in the early and mid 2000s.
Agarkar should look to bring some radical changes to Indian cricket if he becomes the chairman of selectors. Here is a look at three things the former pacer will have to address:
#1. Prioritizing fitness levels and identifying different fast bowlers for different formats
Ajit Agarkar was a pace bowler during his time with team India and will understand the diffculty pacers face these days with the amount of cricket being played. Agarkar should look to identify different pacers for different formats and groom them for the said roles to minimize the risk of any injury.
The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami are key bowlers for India in all three formats. The trio are expected to play a vital role for India in the upcoming World Cup and hence their workload should be managed. Post the World Cup, the trio should look to concentrate more on Tests to keep themselves fit.
As far as limited overs cricket is concerned, the likes of Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar need to be groomed and given more exposure to international cricket so that they are ready to deliver on the big stage as and when required.
The management has identified a huge pool of bowlers and Agarkar will need to ensure that the right set of bowlers are identified for each format and given enough exposure to international cricket so that they are ready to deliver in crunch situations in ICC tournaments.
#2. Identify future spinners for Indian Test cricket
Team India have been blessed to have Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as primary spinners especially in the Test set-up. The duo has been exceptional on home pitches and they have also tasted success overseas. Ashwin will turn 37 in September and Jadeja 35 in December 2023. The time has come to groom young spinners under the guidance of the experienced duo.
Axar Patel has tasted success on pitches in India but is yet to be tested overseas. The likes of Sams Mulani and Ravi Bishnoi have tasted success in Ranji Trophy 2022-203 and could be groomed to be the successors for Ashwin and Jadeja.
Transition is never easy for any team and India will definitely find it difficult once Ashwin and Jadeja call it a day from Test cricket.
#3. Giving a consistent run to young Indian batsmen
One of the main responsibilities of Ajit Agarkar as the chief selector will be to give a consistent run to young Indian batsmen in order to enable them to make a permanent place in the playing 11.
The injuries to Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have opened up three places in the middle order in all the three formats. The likes of Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad need to get a consistent run in ODIs and T20s.
As far as Test cricket is concerned, Kishan will have to be groomed as a future keeper-batsman and will need to get picked regularly in the playing 11. The likes of Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal need to be in fray for Test cricket considering the fact that the seniors comprising Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Chateshwar Pujara could call it a day from the longest format in the near future.
Another important aspect for Agarkar will be to ensure that consistent performers at the Ranji level should be benefitted by selection in the national squad. Sarfaraz Khan for instance should be immediately drafted in the Test squad as he has been scoring big runs in Ranji trophy since the past couple of seasons.
Overall, selection is a thankless job and Agarkar will have a few challenges ahead of him in the next couple of years.