Growing up in Mumbai, Ajit Agarkar would have heard whispers about a ‘prodigy of prodigies’ called Sachin Tendulkar. They shared the same coach, the legendary Ramakant Achrekar, who, if no one else, would have told him about the boy wonder he had taken under his wing.
Then an aspiring batter, little Ajit would have basked in the glory of the success of his senior, and would go on to share a dressing room for years in the national and Ranji teams.
Now, more than three decades later, Agarkar has seen another boy wonder, one who also defies logic and belief. A 15-year-old who scored a 35-ball century in the IPL, who hit Jasprit Bumrah for a six first ball, and who won India the Under 19 World Cup by clobbering 175 in the final.
This time, Agarkar can do more than watch and admire. As the BCCI’s chairman of selectors, he has the power to let loose Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the world. It’s a call every fan is expecting, and there are rumours it might happen soon.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who was captain when Tendulkar made his international debut in Pakistan at 16, had this piece of advice for Agarkar: “Dei Ajit, fast-track him, da. Next series he should be playing. In fact, I’ve been saying this from last year—he should have been in the T20 World Cup squad, in the 15. Let him get the feel of international cricket. If Sachin became the God of cricket, this boy could be a demigod of the sport.”
Srikkanth was in conversation with Ayaz Memon, consultant, sports, THE WEEK, for episode six of CEAT Beyond The Scoreboard—a podcast series where THE WEEK, in association with CEAT, peels back the curtain on India’s favourite sport. In an hour-long talk, Srikkanth spoke about a range of topics, including how he chose the squad for the 2011 ODI World Cup in India, being a wall between the players and the media, and why he doesn’t rely on statistics alone while making a selection call. “If statistics alone are the basis of selection, then why do you need a selection committee?” he asked. “You put [stats] in a computer, and you get 1, 2, 3, up to 15 players. Let it make the team.”
Selection is perhaps the most opaque aspect of the sport, and one of the most criticised. Srikkanth would know. He recalled how he was slammed when the committee picked opener Murali Vijay in 2008. “As usual, the media criticism began. ‘Vijay got selected because Cheeka is from Chennai’. The whole world was criticising me, including Mr Ayaz Memon here,” he said pointing to the host, who laughed it off. “The rest is history. Vijay is one of our best modern-day openers.”
Unlike batting, bowling or fielding, selection is not a skill that is on live display. It is, like coaching, behind closed doors and remains so until there is some bad blood within the team that later spills on to newspaper pages. Srikkanth explained it thus: “Sometime in late 2009 or early 2010, the media kept asking me, ‘What are your plans for the World Cup?’ I said, ‘Nothing.’ There was a furore. (Then BCCI president) Shashank Manohar called me and said [he had heard what I said]. Why should I, as the chairman, discuss what is happening in the selection committee room with the public? Do boardroom meetings get publicised? Why should the opposition know what we are planning?”
Whatever he did plan worked. India won its second World Cup, on home soil, in 2011. Srikkanth was part of the team that had won the tournament in 1983, and wanted another shot at glory. On the night of April 2, as M.S. Dhoni launched the ball into the Wankhede stands, Srikkanth got that taste again.
However, there was one young man who had been left bitter by the call Srikkanth and his team had made. “I feel bad for Rohit [Sharma] even today,” he said. “I even told him in 2023 that I was sorry. It was not on purpose, it’s just that we wanted to take those half all-rounders. The team was packed with them (like in the 1983 edition, which India won). Our thought process was similar to that. And at the end of the day, who was the man of the tournament? Yuvraj Singh.”
If fitting in players was a headache then, imagine the migraine Agarkar has. Today, at least in the shortest format, India has more than one option for every position, and perhaps a handful for the opening slot. It’s a problem of plenty for the selection committee, but a problem nonetheless.
Asked if he would like to step back into the role, especially in the age of social media, Srikkanth—like when at the crease—didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he said. “I take up a challenge. And my challenge would be to win the 2027 World Cup.”