India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar has opened up on the challenge of being in a demanding job. Agarkar became the chairperson of the Indian men's cricket team's senior selection committee in July 2023.
The erstwhile all-rounder put the challenges ingrained in a selector's job into perspective by comparing it with that of a commentary job.
"I will probably go with the easier one first. Being a commentator, and I mean no disrespect, you still work hard, spend hours on the ground. As long as you get the right words out, your job as a commentator is done," stated Agarkar while speaking at NDTV World Summit 2025.
Agarkar then drew parallels between the amount of power a selector holds on the players, comparing it by providing a viewpoint from the end of a player.
"Playing gives you the most satisfaction. Every time you step on the field, you know your job is on the line. One thing that goes for you as a player is that the ball or bat is in your hand. As a selector, once you pick a squad of 15, there is nothing else in your hand. It is a challenging, hectic, high-demand job. You can't please everyone," he added.
He also spoke on the issue of being spoilt for choices when it comes to choosing from a pool of such talented players. Agarkar opined on the increase in fanbases in the modern day and how some group or the other remains dissatisfied with the selection calls.
"Having so many players to pick from is a good problem to have. It improves the competition levels, and the performance levels stay high. The sport is so popular in India that there will be people who will be critical of your decisions. The fanbases have increased multiple times over the last few years," noted Agarkar.
Agarkar's tenure as the chairperson has come under scrutiny a few times, the latest one being over the inclusion of pacer Harshit Rana in the white-ball squads for Australia series and Mohammed Shami's exclusion from the same.
