Former India opener Aakash Chopra has opened up about his expectations from Ajit Agarkar as India men’s chairman of selectors. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Agarkar as the chief selector on July 4, with the announcement coming just days after the former pacer stepped down from the role of assistant coach of Delhi Capitals.
Following his appointment, the BCCI released India’s squad for the forthcoming T20I series against the West Indies, with senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli absent. Meanwhile, young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma earned maiden call-ups. Notably, Hardik Pandya will lead the team in T20Is, with Suryakumar Yadav serving as his deputy.
Ajit Agarkar can also ask the question to Rohit: Aakash Chopra
“You will be remembered for the results that you produce. Just like your coaching is judged on the basis of results, when you take up the role of selector, the way your team has performed, whether you handled the transition well, could you prepare the next generation of players, did you give your team the best chance to win the trophy… these are the questions that will be asked from Agarkar,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra went on to say that Agarkar would have the right to ask Rohit why Ravichandran Ashwin was left out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June. “Ajit Agarkar can also ask the question to Rohit, ‘why didn’t you play Ashwin? What was the thought process?’ He doesn’t decide the XI but he has the right to ask, because he is the chairman of selectors,” the former cricketer added.
Notably, India were defeated in the final, their second consecutive loss in the WTC summit clash after a loss to New Zealand in the final of 2019-21 cycle.