Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has applied for the vacant position on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) men’s selection committee. If selected, he would be eligible to replace Ajit Agarkar as the chairman of the committee.
Agarkar represented West Zone on the selection committee for two years and was chosen as the chairman by virtue of having played the most number of Tests. His contract expired earlier this month, and both he and the BCCI decided to not opt for a renewal, despite the team having only a year left for the 2027 World Cup in Africa, due to a breakdown of the relationship over the selection of Rohit Sharma.
Jaffer, who represented Mumbai at state level, played 31 Tests for India, scoring 1944 runs. He is said to have
interviewed on Thursday for the job in front of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape. Multiple other cricketers from West Zone have also applied,including former India women’s coach Ramesh Powar, who is also considered a favourite for the job.
Currently, South Zone selector Pragyan Ojha is serving as the interim chairman of selectors. He played 24 Tests for India. According to PTI, there is ‘strong support’ within the BCCI for retaining Ojha as chairman. For that to happen, Jaffer can’t be picked for the job, and Powar would be the beneficiary.
Wasim Jaffer rated Ajit Agarkar’s tenure a 7/10
Jaffer has taken up coaching positions in state teams, IPL sides and international teams like Bangladesh since retiring. He currently runs a YouTube channel and works as a pundit.
In one of the recent YouTube videos, he had rated Agarkar’s tenure a 7/10, while also blaming the departing selector for Virat Kohli’s early Test retirement.
“We have done very well in white-ball cricket. We won two World Cups, the Asia Cup, and the Champions Trophy. So we have won trophies. I would give him 7 marks out of 10. I think how he handled some people could have been better,” Jaffer said.
