Ajit Agarkar, the former India all-rounder, has recently applied for a position on the national selection committee. While Agarkar himself has not made any definitive statements on the matter, a member of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has confirmed this development. If chosen, Agarkar, who has represented India in 221 matches across various formats, could potentially become the frontrunner for the chairman's position.
The news of Agarkar's interest in the selection committee job emerged on the same day that Delhi Capitals announced their separation from the former Mumbai chief selector. Agarkar had served as the assistant coach for the Delhi IPL side for two years, but the franchise management informed Cricbuzz that they did not renew his contract.
The position of chief selector has been vacant since Chetan Sharma resigned in February following a sting operation. Ideally, the new candidate should have been from the North Zone, considering the outgoing chairman's regional affiliation. However, it is understood that the BCCI constitution does not impose any regional restrictions when it comes to appointing the selection committee.
"All five selectors can be from the same zone," said the MCA official. Should Agarkar be appointed, there would be two selectors from the West, with Salil Ankola, a sitting member of the selection committee, being the other.
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In the recent advertisement released by the BCCI, inviting applications for a prestigious position, a noteworthy point to highlight is the absence of an age limit. Previously, there had been a strict age restriction of 60 years. However, the BCCI notification now states that applicants must have a minimum of seven Tests or 30 First-Class matches or 10 ODIs and 20 First-Class matches under their belt. Equally important, the applicant must have retired from the game at least five years prior.
This removal of an age criteria presents a golden opportunity for fresh candidates to step forward, with Dilip Vengsarkar, a former chairman himself (2006-2008), being one of the potential contenders. However, there has been no confirmation regarding his application, as he has chosen not to respond to any queries. In this crucial year for world cricket, with the upcoming World Cup just three months away, the BCCI appears to be in search of a visionary and high-profile candidate to fill the role of chief selector.
Currently, the selection panel consists of Shiv Sundar Das (East), S Sharath (South), Subroto Banerjee (Central), and Ankola (West). The deadline for applications is June 30 (Friday), which means that the announcement of the new selector or chief selector could be made as early as next week.
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