Former England pacer Steve Harmison has taken aim at India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar ahead of the three-match ODI series against Australia starting October 19.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were included in the squad, but their places in the 2027 World Cup team are not assured. Ajit Agarkar stressed that players should compete in domestic cricket to stay in contention.

Steve Harmison suggested that this issue might end badly for Agarkar. He claimed that winning the support of former captains Kohli and Rohit could prove difficult for him. However, he acknowledged that Agarkar’s comment about ‘domestic cricket’ might just be intended to motivate the experienced duo.

“Unfortunately, I think there might be a messy end for Ajit Agarkar. If anyone is going to come out on top, it’s likely the former captains rather than the ex-all-rounder. However, if Agarkar’s comments are meant to motivate Kohli and Rohit, then that’s understandable. You lay your cards on the table and wait to see what happens,” he said on talkSPORT Cricket.

Steve Harmison believes Kohli has more at stake than Rohit and warned that excluding him, given his strong ODI chasing record, could backfire at the World Cup.

“I believe Kohli has more at stake here because he has runs to his name and a strong reputation. Rohit, being older, has not had as much impact in 50-over cricket recently compared to Virat. If Virat was to say, ‘Go ahead without me at the 50-over World Cup, but when you are chasing 350 against Australia or England and you do not have the player averaging 90.”

Kohli has scored 8,064 ODI runs while chasing, including 28 hundreds and a highest of 183. He holds the record for most centuries (7) in chases over 300.