Ajit Agarkar's BCCI Secretary Meet Deferred Because of Gautam Gambhir Factor

A meeting with BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia by Ajit Agarkar was deferred. The meeting, as scheduled in advance, had to be pushed to a future date. This was to occur in Guwahati this Saturday. Reasons behind the deferral are uncertain but there could be something associated with head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir was on vacation abroad with his family and it was rumored that he might have been included in the talks. But even before Agarkar could set foot in Guwahati, there were reports of the meeting being postponed on Friday night. There is no word yet on when the rescheduled meeting will take place. Reports indicate that it may be done after the second IPL match in Guwahati or during the first week of April. In spite of the delay, sources are confident that the information about whatever is agreed upon in the meeting will be out shortly after the meeting.

Earlier this week, the BCCI created headlines by declaring the annual retainers for the India senior women's team for the 2024-25 season. The delayed Guwahati meeting was likely to deal with two key Indian cricket topics. The first involved talks of retainers of the senior men's team for the year. The second concerned the first process of selection of India 'A' as well as senior team proposals for England tour later this year. India 'A' will feature in two four-day matches starting May 30. The Test team seniors will then start their five-Test series against England at Headingley on June 20. This will be India's first Test series after losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia by 3-1. It has been a long time since India last won a Test series in England, with their previous victory dating back to 2007.

The central contract structure of the BCCI for the senior men’s team was last updated for the 2023-24 season. Under this system, players were divided into four categories based on their contracts. Players in the highest grade, Grade A+, were paid Rs seven crore annually. Grade A players were given Rs five crore whereas Grade B and Grade C players got Rs three crore and Rs one crore respectively. Now that the new contract cycle is near, speculations are made regarding whether the senior players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja will get their Grade A+ contracts again. The three players had retired from T20Is after they helped India achieve a T20 World Cup victory last year. Earlier, cricket legend MS Dhoni remained in the highest contract category despite retiring from Test cricket in December 2014. A decision of this sort is thought by many to be made for such senior cricketers as well.

Another key point being debated in the contract talks is the possible re-entry of Shreyas Iyer into the centrally contracted players' list. Iyer topped India's run-getting during the recent Champions Trophy triumph but was surprisingly omitted from the previous year's contract list. His brilliant performances leave him a big favorite to be reincluded. Another likely one to get the nod is all-rounder Axar Patel. He was instrumental in India's unbeaten track record both in the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Most feel his steady work in all formats merits him a better contract grade.

Additionally, some young players are being considered for their first-ever central contracts. Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Abhishek Sharma have been outstanding performers in different formats over the past year. Their performances have put them in contention for a spot in the BCCI’s contract list for the upcoming season. These discussions about player contracts are crucial in shaping the future of Indian cricket as the team prepares for important tournaments and international tours.

Though the delay in the meeting of Ajit Agarkar and Devajit Saikia has sparked a few eyebrows, the agenda likely to be deliberated on remains interesting. The conclusions regarding contracts of players are bound to change the course of Indian cricket next year. Fans and pundits are eagerly anticipating the rescheduling of the meeting so that crucial information on the men's team and the India 'A' team can be made public. Until such time, the cricket fraternity will keep speculating on what these talks could yield.