Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir shared a heartfelt message to his former India teammate and outgoing chief selector Ajit Agarkar through a post on social media platform XAgarkar
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BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak during a training session ahead of the second Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday, August 22, 2026(Photo: IANS/Pratik Koli)
Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir shared a heartfelt message to his former India teammate and outgoing chief selector Ajit Agarkar through a post on social media platform XAgarkar will leave the position after four years in charge, having been appointed as selection committee’s Chairman on July 4.
During his tenure, the Indian team tasted immense success across continental and world-level competitionsAjit Agarkar was responsible for finalising the squads of the ICC T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup winning Indian teamsHe had replaced Chetan Sharma from the role.
White-ball glory, tough calls and Test slump
Despite all the glory and success, Ajit Agarkar’s tenure was marred by several allegations of favouritism and controversial decisions during team selectionsThe biggest issue that came into the fore during his time as chief selector was the handling of key senior figures who were responsible for shaping the team into what it is today.
A few tough calls and decisions were taken in the past couple of years with the prime examples being the exclusions of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test sideDuring that time, stalwarts like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Shami were also let go of.
While the T20I and ODI sides kept doing well in bilateral and major competitions, it was the Test team that went through a massive slump in the past two years or so.
To put things into perspective, India has won only two of their last seven Test series’ (home and away) since the 2024-25 seasonThe slump began with the 3-0 whiteweash from the hands of New Zealand in 2024, followed by a 3-1 loss in Border-Gavaskar trophy at the land down under in 2025.
Later that year, India returned with a 2-2 draw from the five-match Test series against England before enduring another home series loss to South Africa who whitewashed Shubman Gill’s 2-0 last NovemberThe team’s most recent seies wins hav come against weaker oppositions like the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
The exclusions, the slump and the poor performances infuriated fans online with Ajit Agarkar being at the centre of it and copping regular backlash on social media.
Gambhir honoured to have worked with Agarkar
While a lot of fans and those close to the BCCI are quite happy about Ajit Agarkar’s dismissal, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has a different view – a positive one.
In a tweet posted earlier today, Gautam Gambhir claimed that the three ICC trophies that came in the last two years are a testament to Ajit Agarkar’s convictionGambhir also praised Agarkar’s “team first and team ahead” approach and also stated that history will be much kinder to him.
“Dear Ajit Bhai, an absolute honour to work with youThose 3 ICC trophies are testimony of your conviction: Team first & Team ahead, always.I must say, History will be kinder to youThank you for everythingMy heartfelt wishes for your future endeavours !!,” Gautam Gambhir wrote.
