Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar was appointed as the Chairman of Senior Men’s Selection Committee by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.
BCCI released an official statement to announce his appointment which read, “The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Ms Sulakshana Naik, Mr Ashok Malhotra, and Mr Jatin Paranjape, interviewed applicants for the position of one selector in the Men’s Selection Committee. The three-member CAC has unanimously recommended Mr Ajit Agarkar for the said position.” The committee further recommended Agarkar for the role of Chairperson of the Men’s Selection Committee based on seniority (total number of Test matches).
Men’s Selection Committee: Ajit Agarkar (Chairperson), Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, Sridharan Sharath.
Agarkar has been one of the most decorated players in the history of Indian ODI cricket as he has made over 191 appearances and picked up 288 wickets with a cost-efficient economy of 5.07. In Test format, Agarkar has featured 26 times and bagged 58 scalps with an economy of 3.39. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Agarkar played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He made 42 appearances and picked up 29 wickets with an economy of 8.83.
Agarkar shared some memorable moments with the bat despite his prowess with the ball. The biggest moment of his international career with the bat came in 2002 when he scored a century against England at Lord’s. With this breathtaking knock, his name is now on the Lord’s Honor Board.
He even went on to break the record for scoring the fastest half-century in the ODI. Agarkar smacked an unbeaten 67(27)* while batting at number eight against Zimbabwe in 2000.
He also broke Australia’s pacer Dennis Lillee’s record of clinching the fastest 50 wickets in the ODI format. Lillee achieved the remarkable feat in 24 matches. But Agarkar managed to break Lille’s record in his 23rd ODI match.
The Indian pacer held the record for almost a decade but in 2009, Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis overtook him by reaching the milestone in his 19th ODI.
