Ramesh Powar named to national men's selection committee; Pragyan Ojha to remain chair

In Bengaluru on October 19, 2026, former spinner Ramesh Powar was drafted into the national men's senior selection committee and Pragyan Ojha will continue as chairman of the panel, taking over after Ajit Agarkar’s term ended on October 4.

The BCCI said the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising former India batters Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape, unanimously recommended the appointment of Powar, "The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising former India batters Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape, unanimously recommended the appointment of Powar," said BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in a release, and added that interim head Ojha will chair the committee based on seniority. "The BCCI places on record its appreciation for Mr Ajit Agarkar for his commitment, conviction and contribution during his tenure as Chairman of the Men’s Selection Committee. "Since his appointment in July 2023, Agarkar led the committee through a significant period for Indian cricket, with India winning three ICC trophies, two Asia Cup titles and back-to-back Asian Games gold medals," Saikia added.

The panel now lists Pragyan Ojha (Chairperson), Shiv Sundar Das, RP Singh, Ajay Ratra and Ramesh Powar as its members; the former left-arm spinner Ojha played 24 Tests across his five-year-long career.

Powar, 48, represented India in two Tests and 31 ODIs during his playing career and has held several coaching roles since retiring, including head coach of the India women’s team, head coach positions with Mumbai and Gujarat, and a stint as bowling coach at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here.

During his time with the India Women’s team, Powar was in charge when the side won the Asia Cup in 2022 and secured a Commonwealth Games silver medal; at domestic level he took 470 wickets across 148 first-class matches and scored 4,245 runs with seven hundreds and 17 fifties, remaining a Mumbai stalwart as a capable off-spinner.

PTI reported that the screening process for the new selector took place on October 15 at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, with former cricketers Salil Ankola, Wasim Jaffer, Jacob Martin and Connor Williams also interviewed. Wasim Jaffer had played 31 Tests for India between 2000 and 2008, scoring 1,944 runs at an average of 34 with five hundreds, and had he been chosen he would have replaced Ojha as the chairman of selectors.

CAC members said they selected Powar to ensure continuity at the helm at least until the 2027 50-over World Cup in South Africa.