Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has rated Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chief selector of the Indian cricket team at 7 out of 10 following the end of the former all-rounder’s stint with the Board of Control for Cricket in India earlier this month. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffer offered a balanced and measured assessment that acknowledged the significant successes achieved under Agarkar while also highlighting areas where selection decisions and player management could have been handled with greater consistency and clarity. The comments come shortly after Agarkar’s three-year term concluded and the BCCI began the process of appointing his successor.

Jaffer pointed to India’s strong record in white-ball cricket during Agarkar’s time in charge as the primary reason for the positive rating. Under the selection panel led by Agarkar, India secured multiple major trophies, including two T20 World Cups, the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. These achievements, he noted, reflected a period of sustained dominance in limited-overs cricket and demonstrated both the quality of talent available to the national side and the effectiveness of the selection strategies that supported that success. Jaffer emphasised that results ultimately define a selector’s tenure, and the trophies won during this period spoke for themselves.

At the same time, the former Test batter questioned several key selection calls made during Agarkar’s tenure. He specifically mentioned the dropping of Suryakumar Yadav after the T20 World Cup triumph, the limited opportunities given to experienced bowlers such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami, and the handling of players including Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Auqib Nabi. Jaffer suggested that greater transparency in communicating the reasons behind these decisions would have benefited both the players concerned and the broader cricket community. He argued that talented performers deserve clear feedback when they are overlooked or dropped, particularly when their domestic or international form appears to warrant continued consideration.

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Jaffer also referred to the transitions involving senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as well as the decision to appoint Shreyas Iyer as captain shortly after the Indian Premier League. While acknowledging that Agarkar was known for taking hard and sometimes unpopular decisions, he felt that the manner in which some of these changes were managed could have been smoother. The former opener noted that high-profile players with substantial followings and long records of service require careful handling, and that abrupt shifts in leadership or selection can create unnecessary friction even when the underlying decisions may be justified on cricketing grounds.

Overall, Jaffer’s assessment presents Agarkar’s three-year term as a successful period marked by tangible silverware in white-ball formats, tempered by ongoing debates around individual player management and long-term planning. The 7-out-of-10 rating reflects a recognition of the results achieved while leaving room for improvement in the softer aspects of selection policy, including communication, consistency and the management of senior players during periods of transition. As the BCCI moves to appoint a new chief selector, the comments from the former India opener are likely to form part of the wider discussion on the strengths and shortcomings of the previous selection regime and the lessons that can be carried forward into the next chapter of Indian cricket’s administrative leadership.

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