Chief selector Ajit Agarkar to stay in Australia for entire BGT 2024-25, to work on roadmap with Gautam Gambhir

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar is expected to travel to Australia and stay in the nation for the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy, slated to begin on November 22. After India’s 3-0 defeat to New Zealand at home, the visitors are under tremendous pressure and if they fail to perform against Australia, the Rohit Sharma-led side will be out of contention for the World Test Championship finale. The form of senior cricketers is also a concern and BCCI officials are considering a few changes in the Test squad.

Agarkar has decided to stay in Australia for the entire series in a bid to follow the players closely and work with head coach Gautam Gambhir to create a future roadmap. The officials want Gambhir and Agarkar to be on the same page regarding the selections.

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“Both Agarkar and Gambhir know that such poor performance in India will trigger widespread criticism, which is justified. Since it's a long tour, both can sit together and discuss how things can be taken forward after the tour. Both will need at least a year and a half to build a team with strong backup. That's where both have to be on the same page about the process,” a BCCI source told The Times of India.

The seniors will be kept in the loop about the vision of the selectors and coach: Source

The source mentioned that the selectors and the officials will soon discuss the future of senior cricketers. They noted that the players are still important to the team but some tough conversations are expected in the coming time. The board is keeping the next World Test Championship and ODI World Cup 2027 in mind and will take a decision accordingly.

“These senior players are still a very important part of the team. But one may expect some tough discussions as well. The seniors will be kept in the loop about the vision of the selectors and coach. They will be asked to share how they plan their careers going into the next World Test Championship cycle and the ODI World Cup being about two years away,” the source added.