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Ajit Agarkar, the former Indian fast bowler, has been appointed as the new chief selector of the Indian cricket team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Agarkar has played 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and 4 T20Is for India and also played 42 IPL games. The former pacer has experience in the position as he was the selector of the Mumbai team. The 45-year-old will lead the panel that includes Subroto Banerjee (Central Zone), S Sharath (South Zone), SS Das (East Zone), and Salil Ankola (West Zone).
However, one of the factors that reportedly deterred many former cricketers from applying for the chief selector's post was the low salary offered by the BCCI. According to the previous pay structure, the chairperson of the senior men's selection committee would get a yearly remuneration of INR 1 crore, while the other four members would get Rs 90 lakh each. This was considered to be inadequate compared to other high-profile jobs related to the men's team.
To convince Agarkar to accept the offer, the BCCI has decided to substantially hike his salary. According to a report by Cricbuzz, Agarkar will now receive INR 3 crore per annum as the chief selector, making him the highest-paid selector in Indian cricket history. The BCCI has also promised to revise the pay package for the other selectors as well. A final decision on this matter is likely to be taken in the BCCI's Apex Council meeting on Friday, July 7.
Agarkar's first assignment as the chief selector was to pick the squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against West Indies, starting on July 17. The new selector made some controversial calls by leaving out Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad out of the squad but it's still to be seen how it will pan out.
