Indian cricket recorded some historic moments in the past three years — three ICC trophies, two Asia Cup titles and gold at the Asian Games — but also witnessed a slew of controversies involving BCCI selectors, in particular the outgoing chief selector, Ajit Agarkar.As former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha replaces the former pacer as chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, along with Ramesh Powar as the new member, a fresh chapter awaits Indian cricket. At the heart of this transition lies the lingering shadow of the Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli era and the complex dynamics of leadership succession.While Agarkar shared the dressing room with Kohli during his playing days, Ojha played 22 international matches alongside Kohli, one of India’s most successful batters. He has a deep familiarity with Sharma as well, having played alongside him and under his captaincy for two teams (Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers) in the Indian Premier League.The Agarkar yearsDuring Agarkar’s stint as the chief selector, the Indian team won back-to-back T20 World Cup titles, the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, the 2023 and 2025 Asia Cups, were runners-up at the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, and had gold medal finishes in the Asian Games.However, the Agarkar years saw many bitter moments too. The former BCCI chief selector was targeted for Kohli’s premature retirement from the Test format after reports suggested that he may have played a part in the former India captain’s decision.Agarkar also faced criticism for frequently travelling on overseas tours with the team rather than staying in India to monitor domestic cricket, and for dropping pacer Mohammed Shami despite his impressive performances in the domestic circuit. While Agarkar cited fitness and match-readiness, Shami publicly countered that it wasn’t his job to constantly update selectors when his Ranji Trophy performances spoke for themselves.Ajit Agarkar. PTIThe Agarkar-led team’s decision to strip Suryakumar Yadav of the T20I captaincy shortly after he had led India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title sparked another controversy. The decision to hand over the ODI captaincy to Shubman Gill in the presence of Rohit Sharma — just five months after the Mumbai stalwart led India to the Champions Trophy win — received a mixed response from the cricketing fraternity, and a backlash from fans.A 0-3 home whitewash against New Zealand, followed by a 1-2 Test series defeat to South Africa, put selectors under the microscope for squad selection in the absence of ‘Ro-Ko’. This was compounded by a tough 1-3 defeat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, which snapped India’s decade-long dominance Down Under.The 2027 plan that backfiredTensions boiled over on October 4 last year when Agarkar publicly stated, “Both Rohit and Virat are non-committal about the World Cup (2027).” The remarks caused immediate friction within the dressing room. Kohli bluntly refuted the claims in interviews, while Sharma famously wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “non-committal?” in a not-so-subtle retort.All eyes now turn to how the new panel constructs the roadmap for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.Ojha is no stranger to the inner workings of the panel, having served as a member since September last year and acting as interim head after Agarkar’s term ended to finalise squads for the New Zealand tour. Stepping into the top job will require delicate diplomacy.With senior players still anchoring the ODI setup, Ojha will inevitably lean on their expertise as the 2027 tournament approaches. The recall of veteran swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the tour to New Zealand is already being seen as a major shift.Reportedly acting as a peacemaker between head coach Gautam Gambhir and Kohli during the England tour — where rumours swirled that Sharma was nudged toward a farewell ODI match that never materialised — Ojha’s calmer disposition might be precisely what a fractured dressing room needs.With the 2027 World Cup now just a year away, his biggest challenge will be harmonising past greatness with future planning.