He was expecting one last extension to his contract. And rightly so, after India reached four ICC trophy finals and won threeof them, all consecutively during his tenure, which began in July 2023. The BCCI did not agree this time, and Ajit Agarkar walked away quietly.
On September 16, 2026, he led the selection committee for the last time, in picking the white-ball squads for the home series against the West Indies. His tenure ended on October 4. But it wasn’t until Tuesday that BCCI officially confirmed his departure by inviting applications for one position on the men’s selection committee.
A day later, following the end of the first T20I against the West Indies in Lucknow, head coach Gautam Gambhir shared an emotional message for Agarkar, hailing his ‘team first’ approach, which aptly complemented Gambhir’s ideology as well.
“Dear Ajit Bhai, an absolute honour to work with you. Those 3 ICC trophies are testimony of your conviction: Team first & Team ahead, always.. I must say, History will be kinder to you. Thank you for everything. My heartfelt wishes for your future endeavours!!” he posted.
‘History will be kinder to you’
That is the line in Gambhir’s post that stays with you.
Numbers don’t alone paint the entire picture. Those three ICC trophies, two Asia Cups and the run to the 2023 ODI World Cup final will undoubtedly standout, but the harder part of his job doesn’t show up on the list. A year into his job, he lot two of the biggest players — Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in T20I cricket and just months later, both drew curtains on their Test career as well, leaving the committee to find replacements without the team losing its edge.
He was also directly involved in to a selection matter that was unpopular. Kohli and Rohit were now playing only one format, and had spent long stretches away from domestic cricket. Despite their accolades, he and Gambhir refused to guarantee them the spot in the 2027 ODI World Cup squad. Both faced criticisms, but they didn’t flinch, for the rule was set for the dressing room: reputation alone would not pick the team.
Now the committee is looking for his successor, and the next chairman will inherit a team that has been winning trophies and a decision on the 2027 World Cup that Agarkar chose not to make for him.