Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar surprised fans this week when he was seen watching the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 match in Ahmedabad ahead of the three-match ODI series against South Africa. India recently suffered a 0-2 defeat at the hands of South Africa in the Test series.
Following the humiliation, the Indian chief selector, who usually stays away from domestic games, is staying in Ahmedabad to oversee the Group D matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 from November 26. This was reported by Cricbuzz.
Ajit Agarkar enters SMAT 2025 games amid selection heat
Ajit Agarkar is usually seen on foreign tours, be it Australia, England or Dubai. He traveled to Australia with Shiv Sunder Das while the domestic first-class season was in full swing back home. Hence, the presence of the chief selector in Ahmedabad has started discussions about his participation in domestic cricket.
Also read: Virat Kohli’s Test retirement will be reversed! BCCI is considering
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has often been criticized for its limited involvement in the domestic circuit. Many argue that Test players are being selected on the basis of white-ball performance and all-rounders are given preference over specialists.
Recently, many questions were raised over the selection of Sai Sudarshan and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the South Africa Test, while the exclusion of players like Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair remains a topic of debate among cricket pundits.
Pressure on Ajit Agarkar after test series defeat, selectors scattered across the country
However, all five selectors share responsibility for decisions; Ajit Agarkar often faces criticism due to his constant presence on international tours and major events.
But it is not clear whether Agarkar’s current tour of domestic cricket matches is part of the BCCI’s directive following India’s 0-2 home Test defeat to South Africa. However, the former Indian bowler has been a regular presence at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the past few days.
On the other hand, Pragyan Ojha is traveling with the Indian cricket team for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, while SS Das is in Kolkata, RP Singh in Lucknow and Ajay Ratra is in Hyderabad. Except Ojha, all other selectors are on duty for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025.
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Can India bring back retired Virat Kohli?
After the second embarrassing defeat in the Test series at home within 13 months, there is a discussion among the selectors whether the senior players who have retired from Test cricket can be asked to reconsider.
However, reports from Cricbuzz suggested that no BCCI official has approached Virat Kohli to reconsider his Test retirement, but the idea is being discussed among think tanks, and some believe that at least one recently retired player may be open to a comeback.
This could also be Rohit Sharma. He also retired from Test cricket earlier this year.
No second chance for Mohammed Shami?
Interestingly, Mohammed Shami was not given another chance against South Africa at home and the selectors have not checked his fitness or form. RP Singh watched Gujarat’s SMAT match in Kolkata, yet no selector reviewed Shami closely.
Agarkar was at Eden Gardens for the first Test against South Africa, but he also did not go to nearby Kalyani, where Bengal played Assam the next day. His lack of interest has given a clear message that India have moved on from Shami.
