Ajit Agarkar’s three-year stint as the chairman of selectors is set to end in a few days. The tenure was fairly successful, and his exit has raised a lot of questions.

Legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was one of the few people who have shown sympathy towards the 48-year-old. He cited his own example and revealed the conversation he had with Agarkar on his retirement in late 2024.

Aakash Chopra praised Ashwin for his honesty. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former opener said: “It takes a lot of guts to make a big statement. Some players are bitter, and that’s because things didn’t go right for them.”

Aakash added, “They have held on to grudges for close to 15 years. Bitterness is still there despite retiring from the game. These people are still carrying a grudge. I am not going to name those people. Ashwin is a pretty honest guy who speaks things as they are.”

“He said that anyone handling the transition of a side has a difficult job. Ajit wanted to take the Indian team ahead, and it is not just about worshipping a player or looking at their records. Many people abuse him. There are many things which Ajit knows, but he cannot say or speak about because he is contractually bound. So if someone like Ash says Agarkar did a good job, I’m not going to question it.”

What did Ashwin say about Agarkar’s reign?

Speaking to veteran journalist Vimal Kumar on his channel Ash ki Baat, the 40-year-old said, “He was tasked with many big decisions. He had to phase out some senior players, and it wasn’t easy. I was one of them, but putting that aside, I want to say he has been a very good chairman of selectors. If we look in terms of all the success we had under him.”

“You are saying this despite being phased out is a big deal,” Vimal said. “Look, we tend to speak from personal feeling, but we don’t put ourselves in their shoes, which is a mistake. He has to look for the next-generation team that can win games for the country. He was also tasked with producing newer players, and he didn’t make any mistakes.”