 "Ajit Agarkar was seen attending Duleep Trophy matches with VVS Laxman in Bengaluru. Image: PTI")
The Indian men’s cricket team chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, was spotted watching a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 match between Jharkhand and Karnataka on Friday amid criticism for skipping domestic games and a bizarre excuse by a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official that he follows the games on apps.
Agarkar, who has been a constant on India’s overseas tours, has been facing a barrage of criticism ever since India lost the two-match Test series 2-0 to South Africa in Guwahati earlier this week . It was the second whitewash Test series defeat for India in one year under Agarkar’s tenure as BCCI chief selector for the men’s cricket team.
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Questions are being asked to Agarkar over the exclusion 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 possess ordinary numbers in Ranji Trophy, have been fast-tracked to the national side.
Agarkar’s absence from domestic matches has also been questioned. He has rarely been seen at Ranji Trophy games, with his last major game being the 2024 match between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in Chennai. But he was with Team India in Australia and England.
BCCI official defends Agarkar with bizarre excuse
However, a BCCI official has defended Agarkar’s absence from Ranji Trophy matches by making a wild excuse that he can follow the scores on apps. The BCCI official has also confirmed that the board is set to hold talks with the selectors, including Agarkar, 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 told the Times of India.
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Notably, Agarkar faced similar accusations of not attending matches when he was a selector for Mumbai.
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View AllNonetheless, Agarkar was spotted in the stands of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, watching the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 match that was won by Jharkhand.
Anukul Roy made 95 not out and took two wickets as Jharkhand successfully chased down the 158-run target.