Ajit Agarkar responds to ‘domestic criticism’ by watching SMAT alongside GT and SRH coaches

It’s not just Gautam Gambhir, but Ajit Agarkar has been facing the ire as well. In the aftermath of the South Africa whitewash, many have questioned the Chairman of Selectors. Agarkar’s been accused of mandating compulsory participation in domestic cricket but not watching the matches himself.

While the first leg of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season was underway, Agarkar was travelling with the national team. His trips to Australia last year and England this summer have been questioned. Many are wondering why the chief selector has been touring with Team India rather than watching domestic cricket.

Agarkar shifts focus to SMAT

However, it looks like Agarkar was ahead of the criticism curve. Just two days after the Guwahati Test had ended, he was spotted watching some domestic cricket. With the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) underway, Agarkar has travelled to Ahmedabad and gone to Narendra Modi Stadium to watch the match between Karnataka and Jharkhand in person.

Agarkar wasn’t the only former international cricketer in attendance. Sitting alongside him were former England batter and Gujarat Titans’ (GT) director of cricket Vikram Solanki, former Indian wicketkeeper and GT batting coach Parthiv Patel, and former Indian pacer and bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Varun Aaron.

While the other three were scouting for their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, Agarkar was keeping tabs on the current lot of domestic players.

All Group D (Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura) matches, 28 in total, will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium. However, it’s yet to be seen how long Agarkar will stay in Ahmedabad.

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