<a href="https://cricket.international/ravichandran-ashwin-slams-bcci-coe-after-varun-chakravarthys-fresh-injury-setback/" title="Ravichandran Ashwin slams BCCI CoE after Varun Chakravarthy’s fresh injury setback”>Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up about his conversation with outgoing India chief selector Ajit Agarkar during his retirement. Despite being one of the senior players who was phased out during Ajit Agarkar’s tenure, Ravichandran Ashwin has praised his work as chairman of selectors.
The former Indian off-spinner also highlighted how difficult Agarkar’s job was during a major transition in Indian cricket. During this period, Indian cricket icons like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket, while younger leaders started taking charge across the three formats. Earlier, Dilip Vengsarkar backs Ajit Agarkar amid BCCI exit buzz.
Ravichandran Ashwin reveals his conversation with Ajit Agarkar
Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that he personally contacted Ajit Agarkar when he decided to retire from international cricket. Agarkar even called Ashwin’s retirement his own personal decision.
Ravichandran Ashwin said in a video posted on his YouTube channel, “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.”
The former Indian all-rounder retired midway through the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the third Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Ravichandran Ashwin hails Ajit Agarkar despite being phased out during his tenure
Even though Ashwin himself was affected by the selection changes, he believes Agarkar handled a very difficult period well. The former spinner said Ajit Agarkar had to take several major calls while slowly moving Indian cricket towards a younger generation.
Ashwin also pointed out that decisions involving senior players can become personal for the cricketers involved, but he felt Agarkar has done an excellent job as the chief selector.
The former Indian off-spinner added, “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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin defends Ajit Agarkar’s calls during India’s transition
Ajit Agarkar became the chairman of the BCCI selection committee in 2023, replacing Chetan Sharma. Under Agarkar, India went through a transition, but they also enjoyed success in the ICC events as well. Earlier, Ashwin slams BCCI CoE after Varun Chakravarthy’s fresh injury setback.
India won two T20 World Cups during his tenure and also lifted the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. And Ashwin feels Agarkar deserves credit for his work as chief selector. However, he believes people should also understand the pressure and responsibility faced by selectors before judging their decisions.
Ashwin signed off by saying, “If we look at what all he has done with the team. 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.”
Source: cricketaddictor.com
