Former Mumbai Indians batter Tirumalasetti Suman has question Ajit Agarkar’s controversial calls as a chief selector amid the T20I series against the West Indies. Agarkar’s tenure came to an end on October 4 after he decided not to extend his contract.
Suman praised the selection committee for backing Sanju Samson in the recent past. However, he questioned it was the same selection panel, which played Shubman Gill as opener in T20Is and pushed Samson down the order.
The former SRH batter further added that the retirement of talismanic players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could have been handled better.
“But there is also a question here. First, they brought Gill and changed Sanju’s position. This is the same committee, right? That decision should definitely be questioned. And the credit should be given accordingly. Coming to Test cricket, the results are mixed. Rohit, Kohli and Ashwin’s retirement and transition should have been handled well. We don’t know what discussions would have taken place between them. But when such experience is lost, it is very important to prepare the next team. It is not just about selecting the winning team today. It is also about preparing the next team. There are definitely some questions in Test cricket,” Suman said in a video on his YouTube channel.
On the other hand, under Agarkar’s stint, India won the 2025 Champions Trophy, Asia Cup and the 2026 T20 World Cup. Suman praised the former fast bowler for India’s consistent run in the white-ball formats.
“Can Agarkar’s 3-year tenure be judged by trophies? As India’s Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar’s 3-year tenure is over. 3 ICC trophies, 2 Asia Cups, 2 Asian Games gold medals. According to the results, this is a very successful tenure. In my opinion, some decisions taken by Agarkar and committee in white ball cricket should be credited. Giving a chance to Ishan Kishan, who scored runs in domestic cricket, Backing Sanju Samson as an opener, selecting Varun Chakaravarthy for ODIs. Especially, it is not easy to keep a player like Gill aside from T20 World Cup squad. They showed that team combination is more important than a big name,” he said.
