Former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar has been appointed as the Chairman of the Indian Senior Men's Selection Committee by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, July 04.

The former fast bowler replaced Chetan Sharma who resigned from the post earlier this year after a sting operation. Sharma revealed some insider information about Indian cricket and its players and hence was asked to resign by the board.

Agarkar had applied for the vacant position and was subsequently interviewed by the Cricket Advisory Committee, consisting of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape, who unanimously recommended him to head the selection panel. However, the Mumbai-born cricketer wasn’t willing to accept the position due to the low pay.

The Chairman of Selectors earns INR 1 crore, a sum much much lower than what former cricketers make from commentary, broadcasting or coaching stints. In a bid to get his nod for the role, the BCCI decided to hike the salary for the position to INR 3 crore as per a Cricbuzz report.

The 45-year-old recently stepped down as the assistant coach of Delhi Capitals which further cleared his path to become the chief selector. Agarkar has prior experience for the position as he has also served as the chief selector of the senior Mumbai team.

Following Chetan Sharma’s resignation, Shiv Sundar Das was appointed as the interim chairman who will now leave the position for Agarkar to take over.

The committee which now consists of Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Sridharan Sharath and Ankola besides Agarkar, will select the squad for the five-match T20I series against the West Indies in the Caribbean and the US starting from August 3.

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