Ajit Agarkar Breaks Silence on Major Exclusions From Afghanistan Series
The Indian team for the series against Afghanistan has been announced. While several new faces were there, a few experienced players have also been dropped. Ajit Agarkar opened up on the reasons why Jadeja, Axar, and Shami were dropped.
The squad for the Test and ODI series against Afghanistan have been announced. Several young faces such as Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, and Prince Yadav have been able to make it to the team. But at the same time, players such as Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have been rested. Along with that, Shami ended up being ignored once again.
Ajit Agarkar, the Chief selector of the BCCI, opened up about the same. He said, “With regards to one day cricket, we have 15-16 months for that World Cup. Somewhere around there we want to obviously try and assess what our options are, particularly keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa, and give a little bit exposure to the newer guys. We know what Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel can do. This is the time we try and give some opportunity to some of the other guys.”
For Mohammed Shami, Ajit Agarkar openly said that the selectors are not looking at Shami as an option for the Test format. Despite giving his best performances in the Ranji Trophy, he is not in the eyes of the selectors for a comeback. Agarkar even said that Shami is being looked for a T20I comeback rather than Test.
Our Take
Ajit Agarkar opening up on the fact that the BCCI is eager to give exposure to the youngsters is making sense to some extent. But it remains to be seen what will be India's squad for the ODI series against England, as it will hold importance, noting the conditions in England.