Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer has shed light on chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s tenure. Jaffer reckons veteran batter Virat Kohli was a bit bitter about the way he was treated under Agarkar’s stint. Kohli decided to announce his Test retirement in May 2025 and Jaffer believes the talisman could have continued to play in the red-ball version.
During IPL 2026, Kohli said he doesn’t like playing in a team environment, where he has to prove his worth after so much of experience. Kohli scored 9230 runs in his Test career but had an average of around 30 in the last five years.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “It felt like Virat was a bit bitter about the way he was treated. A player like Virat brings people to the ground. He has such a following. He definitely could have played more Test cricket. Till we hear it from Virat’s mouth, we won’t know. He was preparing for the England tour.”
The former domestic giant said Agarkar could have handled some players in a better way and questioned the omission of players like Suryakumar Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar among the many.
“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. Surya was dropped after winning the T20 World Cup. Why was Bhuvi not playing T20Is? Where is Shami? Then, whatever was happening with Sarfaraz, Auqib Nabi was not picked earlier; Abhimanyu Easwaran’s case has also been like this.
He concluded, “Then, the way he handled Virat and Rohit, and made Iyer the captain straightaway after the IPL. Rohit was removed from captaincy after winning the Champions Trophy. These are the things I feel could have been better. But he’s known to be blunt and is not scared to take hard decisions.”
Agarkar’s tenure came to an end on October 4.
