Former Indian allrounder Ajit Agarkar was appointed as the Chairman of Senior Men's Selection Committee by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.
In an official statement to announce the appointment, BCCI said, "The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Ms Sulakshana Naik, Mr Ashok Malhotra, and Mr Jatin Paranjape, interviewed applicants for the position of one selector in the Men's Selection Committee. The three-member CAC has unanimously recommended Mr Ajit Agarkar for the said position."
The committee also recommended Agarkar for the role of Chairperson of the Men's Selection Committee based on seniority by the total number of Test matches.
The men's selection committee now includes: Ajit Agarkar (Chairperson), Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, Sridharan Sharath.
It may be noted that Agarkar has been one of the most decorated players in the history of Indian ODI cricket as he has made over 191 appearances and picked up 288 wickets with a cost-efficient economy of 5.07. In the longer format, Agarkar played 26 Tests taking 58 wickets at an economy of 3.39.
Agarkar also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Delhi Daredevils, now Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders. He took 29 wickets in 42 matches at an economy of 8.83.
With the bat, Agarkar shared some of the most memorable moments with his century against England at Lord's etching his name on the Lord's Honor Board.
He also broke the record for scoring the fastest half-century in ODI with his unbeaten 67 off 27 deliveries while batting at number eight against Zimbabwe in 2000.
He also broke Australia's pacer Dennis Lillee's record of clinching the fastest 50 wickets in the ODI format. Lillee had achieved the feat in 24 matches, but Agarkar managed to break the record in his 23rd match.
He held that record for almost a decade but in 2009, Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis overtook him reaching the feat in his 19th ODI.
