Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed outgoing chief selector Ajit Agarkar, saying he deserves credit for handling a difficult transition period in Indian cricket. Ashwin revealed that he spoke to Agarkar around the time of his retirement and was told that the decision was a personal one.
Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket midway through India’s 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign, following the third Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane. He was among several senior players whose international careers came to an end during Agarkar’s tenure as chairman of the selection committee.
“Honestly, I know Ajit Agarkar quite well and we also talked during the time of my retirement. I called him and said that I am going to retire and then he said that he felt it was a personal decision,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
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Agarkar took charge as chairman of selectors in 2023, succeeding Chetan Sharma. His tenure coincided with a significant transition in Indian cricket, with several experienced players making way for a younger generation.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their Test retirements during this period, while younger captains were entrusted with leadership responsibilities across formats. Ashwin acknowledged that making such decisions could not have been easy for Agarkar and the selection committee.
“The fact is that Ajit Agarkar had the responsibility to take a lot of big decisions in this stint; he had to phase out the senior players; it can’t be easy. I was one of the senior players phased out during his tenure, but still, by keeping some distance from that, I want to say that he has been a very good chairman of selectors,” he added.
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Ravichandran Ashwin also urged people to look beyond personal relationships when judging selection decisions. “Many times we always talk from an ego’s point of view, or from our personal relationships, but we all make the mistake of not putting ourselves in their shoes,” he said.
During Agarkar’s tenure, India won two T20 World Cups and the Champions Trophy in 2025, making it a successful period in terms of major white-ball trophies.
