The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made changes in the selection committee of the Indian men’s cricket team. Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha has been made the chairman of the selection committee. He will take over this responsibility in place of Ajit Agarkar. At the same time, former Indian cricketer Ramesh Powar has also been appointed as a member of the selection committee of the men’s team. BCCI gave official information about these changes on Monday, 19 October 2026.
According to the board, the chairmanship of the selection committee will be handed over to the member who has played the most matches in Test cricket on the basis of seniority. On this basis, Pragyan Ojha will take charge of the committee. After the tenure of Ajit Agarkar, Ojha was performing this responsibility in the interim.
Five-member committee led by Pragyan Ojha
Apart from Pragyan Ojha, the new selection committee of the Indian men’s team includes Shiv Sundar Das, RP Singh, Ajay Ratra and Ramesh Powar. The responsibility of this committee will be to select players for the Indian team, assess their performance and prepare the team combination for the upcoming international matches.
The selectors have to take decisions keeping in mind the players’ current form, fitness, performance in domestic cricket and the needs of the team. Selection of the right players for different formats like Test, ODI and T-20 is also an important responsibility of the committee.
Why did Ramesh Powar get a place in the selection committee?
According to BCCI, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) completed the selection process for the appointment of Ramesh Powar. The committee comprising Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape unanimously recommended Powar’s name after screening and interviewing the applicants.
Ramesh Powar has played two Test and 31 ODI international matches for India. While pursuing his cricket related innings, he also worked in coaching. He has been the head coach of the Indian women’s cricket team. Apart from this, he has also done coaching responsibilities with the teams of Mumbai and Gujarat. He has also worked as a bowling coach at the BCCI Center of Excellence.
During his tenure as coach of the Indian women’s team, the team won the Asia Cup title and won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. BCCI hopes that his playing and coaching experience will be useful to the selection committee.
BCCI praised Ajit Agarkar’s tenure
Ajit Agarkar was appointed the chief selector of the Indian men’s team in July 2023. BCCI has appreciated the contributions made during his tenure. According to the board, under Agarkar’s leadership, the Indian team won three ICC trophies, two Asia Cup titles and gold medals in two consecutive Asian Games.
Now the command of the selection committee will be in the hands of Pragyan Ojha. The decisions of the new committee will be closely watched by cricket fans, especially during team selection for upcoming international series and major tournaments.