Ajit Agarkar appointed as India men’s selection committee chairman

Dubai: Former Indian fast bowler Ajit Agarkar has been appointed as chairman of selectors for Indian men’s team. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape unanimously recommended Agarkar for the position.

Agarkar will be the fifth member of the selection panel for India men’s which already includes Shiv Sunder Das, Salil Ankola, Subroto Banerjee and S Sharath.

The 45-year-old has represented the country in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and four T20Is, in addition to playing 110 first-class, 270 List A, and 62 T20 matches.

Agarkar, who was part of the India’s victorious squad in the inaugural T20 World Cup held in South Africa in 2007, applied for the selector’s job after Chetan Sharma had resigned from his post in February amid a controversial sting operation conducted by a television media house.

The former Indian pacer still holds the record for the fastest half-century by an Indian batter in ODI, achieved with a 21-ball fifty against Zimbabwe in 2000 and also held the record for being the fastest to reach 50 ODI wickets for nearly a decade, accomplishing the milestone in just 23 matches. Following his playing career, he was appointed as the chief selector for the senior Mumbai team and undertook coaching responsibilities with the Delhi Capitals.