I Was Phased Out...: R Ashwin Hails Agarkar's Tenure As Chief Selector

R Ashwin hailed Ajit Agarkar for his work as chairman of selectors

Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Ajit Agarkar for his work as the chief selector of the Indian men's cricket team, as it appears that the former Indian pacer's tenure will end after a three-year stint in which the Men in Blue won the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups as well as the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, Agarkar took some bold calls, which divided opinions and led to several senior players being phased.

Ashwin admitted that he was one of the senior players who had to make way but praised Agarkar for looking to build a team for the future. The former Indian spinner also revealed that he called the chief selector before announcing his decision to retire during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).

"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 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 cannot 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. If we look at what all he has done with the team," said Ashwin in a video on his Youtube Channel 'Ash Ki Baat.'

"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. What did Ajit Agarkar do? He was looking for a next-generation team. His responsibility was to make the team win as much as possible, but it was also his responsibility to produce the next line of players. He did not make any mistakes there," he added.

Disclaimer: This article summarizes a report by R Ashwin. While Times Now has verified the public data presented, the interpretations of 'intent' remain those of the creator.

Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb...