The senior India men’s team has been without a chief selector now for more than four months after the unceremonious exit of Chetan Sharma, who was caught in a sting operation in February this year.

Shiv Sundar Das, one of the four existing members of the selection panel, has been serving as the interim chair since Sharma’s departure.

The BCCI posted the application for the post of chief selector of India Men a few days ago. They had set June 30 as the last date for application.

🚨 NEWS 🚨

BCCI invites applications for one member of Men’s Selection Committee post.

Details 🔽https://t.co/jOU7ZIwdsl

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 22, 2023

What are the qualifications required for the role of Chief Selector?

According to the job application document posted by BCCI, a candidate applying for the position of chief selector of the senior men’s team should have the following qualifications:

• Should have played a minimum of
  • seven Test matches; or
  • 30 first-class games; or
  • 10 ODIs and 20 first-class games
• Should have retired at least five years back
• Should not have been a member of any Cricket Committee (as defined in the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations of BCCI) for five years or more

What is the salary like for the role?

The chief selector of the senior India men’s team has an annual salary of INR 1 crore, while the other members of the selection panel earn INR 90 lakhs each.

However, the BCCI has promised to increase the salary for the chief selector’s role as a many high-profile former Indian cricketers have reportedly refused to apply for the position due to the salary being low.

Former cricketers earn much more through their broadcasting and/or coaching deals, and do not find the role of chief selector as lucrative. BCCI wants to change that and has promised a hike, although it hasn’t explicitly mentioned what the hike will be like.

Who is the front-runner for the role?

According to a report by The Indian Express, former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar is the clear favourite in the race to become the next chief selector of the senior men’s team.

Less than six months after his ODI debut, in 1998, Agarkar became the fastest in the world to reach 50 ODI wickets – a record he held for over a decade. Agarkar finished with 288 wickets from 191 matches at 27.85 apiece, and still holds the record for the fastest ODI fifty by an Indian.

During a 26-Test stint, he famously claimed 6-41 in Adelaide to help India win a Test match in Australia, in 2003/04; and scored a fourth-innings hundred at Lord’s in 2002. Agarkar, India’s Men’s T20I cap No.1, was part of the squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2007.

According to The Indian Express report, some BCCI officials contacted Agarkar and asked him to apply for the role, and Agarkar has complied. His recent parting of ways with the Delhi Capitals, with whom he has been working as assistant coach for some time, is perhaps another hint.

Does Agarkar have any experience of being a selector?

Agarkar had applied for the role of chief selector India Men in 2020, but was beaten by Sunil Joshi for the position.

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Agarkar has experience as chair of selectors in the domestic circuit. He was part of the Mumbai senior selection committee between 2017 and 2019 – a controversial stint that ended in an unceremonious exit.

Agarkar and his team took several brave decisions during their time at the helm of Mumbai cricket, replacing seniors with youngsters. There were also reports of Agarkar and his committee not watching enough local games to identify talent.

The entire panel of four members surprisingly quit in unison hours before an adhoc committee appointed by the Mumbai Cricket Association was to decide their fate, in 2019.

When will the next chief selector of the senior India men’s team be confirmed?

The BCCI is scheduled to hold an Apex Council meeting on July 7. It is expected that the next chief selector of the senior India men’s team will be announced after the meeting.