‘Mischief makers could be others, but it’s the chairman who is singled out for criticism’- Sunil Gavaskar on chief selector role

Ajit Agarkar's tenure as BCCI chief selector ends on 4th October this year.

Chief of the BCCI selection committee Ajit Agarkar’s tenure will end on October 4, and while the BCCI is yet to finalize his successor, legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar has a word of caution for whoever takes on the role next.

The new chairman of selectors will have the responsibility of selecting the Indian squad for the tour of New Zealand, during which the team will participate in five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Tests.

According to Gavaskar, this very high-profile job does come with its own set of problems, and whoever gets selected is bound to burn many bridges with certain players because of the difficult duty of selecting the team, which means that some deserving players do not make the cut because of competition in Indian cricket.  

According to Gavaskar, the “mischief makers” can also be the other selectors, but the chairman gets all the brickbats for that.

“There is, of course, the honor of being the chairman of the national selection committee, but it also comes with a target mark on the back. Like with umpiring, wicketkeeping, and now, commentary, the nine good things that have been done will be forgotten, and the one so-called error will be magnified a hundred times and discussed over and over again,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

“The thing that most people tend not to be aware of is that many a decision could be forced on the chairman by the other selectors, but since he has to front the media, he is the one who gets the blame. So, the mischief makers could be the other selectors, but it’s the chairman who is singled out for criticism,” he added.

During Agarkar’s reign, India won two T20 World Cups and one ICC Champions Trophy and reached the final of the 2023 World Cup. However, India also suffered two embarrassing white-washes in the Test series at home against New Zealand and South Africa.

According to Gavaskar, whoever is going to become the new chief selector in the future will be judged based on his failures and not for making the right decisions.

“Whoever is going to be the next Chairman, and however great or popular a player he may have been during his playing days, when he has to hang up his boots after his term, he will find there are more minuses, however wrongly perceived, than plusses against his name,” wrote Gavaskar.

The BCCI is expected to officially announce Agarkar's replacement next month.