Former Indian chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil, who served as chairman of selectors between 2012 and 2016, has revealed that legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan knew why they had to leave the team or retire.
It’s important to note that Sachin Tendulkar played his final ODI in March 2012 and retired from international cricket in November 2013. Patil acknowledged that all four cricketers know the reasons behind them being phased out.
“Whatever decisions we made, we made with the future of Indian cricket in mind. It feels very bad to bring this up today, but legends as great as Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, and Zaheer Khan had to leave the team or retire. They know the reasons. Our job as selectors was to put the interests of the country, the BCCI, and Indian cricket first.”
Further, Sandeep reckoned that selectors should focus only on Indian cricket and not on their personal relationships with players. Notably, Patil was the chief selector when legendary players were phased out and newcomers came into the team.
“You can be friends with players, but there has to be a line. You can’t say, ‘He is my friend, so I will pick him for the team.’ When you are given this responsibility, you have to take it seriously. You are not thinking about your own cricket; you are thinking about India’s cricket and its future. You sometimes have to make decisions you are not happy with, but you make them for the good of the Indian team,” said Patil.
On the other hand, Agarkar completed his three-year term (which began in July 2023) and chose not to seek a contract extension. His tenure as the Chairman of the BCCI Senior Men’s Selection Committee officially ended on October 4, 2026.
