BCCI’s chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, was in attendance during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 match between Jharkhand and Karnataka on Friday (November 28) amid criticism for not paying heed to domestic games and a bizarre excuse by a board official that he follows the games on apps.

Agarkar, who has been a constant on India’s overseas tours, has been drawing flak ever since India succumbed to 2-0 defeat in a home Test series against South Africa earlier this week.

This was the second time in a span of just 12 months that India ended up being whitewashed at home. New Zealand won three consecutive Test matches on Indian soil last year.

In the wake of the recent debacle, questions are being asked to Agarkar over the snub of Test specialists and proven domestic performers like Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair from the Indian squad, while Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who Ranji Trophy numbers are underwhelming, have managed to retain their places in the national side.

Agarkar’s absence from domestic fixtures has also become a topic of discussion. He has rarely been seen at Ranji Trophy games, with his last attendance being the 2024 match between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in Chennai. But the chief selector travelled with the Indian squad in Australia and England.

Meanwhile, a BCCI official has come to the defence of Agarkar, saying that latter can follow the scores on apps. The board official also confirmed that talks will be held with the selectors after another Test debacle at home.

“We will speak to the selectors too (on the Test debacle), and as far as watching domestic games is concerned, every score comes on the app,” a BCCI official said, as quoted by TOI.

Notably, Ajit Agarkar faced similar accusations of not attending matches when he was serving the Mumbai domestic side as selector.

Nonetheless, Agarkar was spotted in the stands of the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday, observing the Jharkhand vs Karnataka Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 match from close quarters.

Anukul Roy slammed 95 not out and picked up a couple of scalps as Jharkhand won the game by two wickets while chasing down the 158-run target.