Pragyan Ojha takes charge as India chief selector, Ramesh Powar joins panel

Former left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is now formally at the head of India’s senior men’s selection committee, after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, 19 October, named Ramesh Powar to the seat that fell vacant when Ajit Agarkar’s term as chief selector came to an end.

The announcement was made by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, Sportstar reported. Powar’s name was put forward unanimously by the board’s Cricket Advisory Committee, a two-member body of Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape, which held interviews with the shortlisted applicants at the BCCI’s Mumbai headquarters.

Why Ojha, and not a new face, is in charge

Under the BCCI’s convention, the panel is led by whichever member has the most international experience, with Test caps counted first. Ojha, who turned out in 24 Tests for India, is the senior-most of the five, according to ESPNcricinfo. He joined the committee in September 2025 and had already been acting as interim head since Agarkar stepped away on 4 October, overseeing the selection of the squads for India’s upcoming multi-format tour of New Zealand.

The reconstituted committee reads: Pragyan Ojha (chair), Shiv Sunder Das, RP Singh, Ajay Ratra and Ramesh Powar. Sportstar noted that Das will hit the four-year cap allowed for a selector by the end of December, meaning one more vacancy is due soon.

Powar comes in as the West Zone member. The Mumbai off-spinner featured in two Tests and 31 one-day internationals between 2004 and 2007, and has since built a long coaching résumé. He has had two spells as head coach of the India women’s side, during which the team won an Asia Cup and a Commonwealth Games silver, and has also coached Mumbai and Gujarat and worked as a bowling coach at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence.

Jaffer passed over, Parthiv stayed away

The advisory committee interviewed five candidates, Sportstar said, among them Wasim Jaffer, Salil Ankola, Jacob Martin and Connor Williams. ESPNcricinfo pointed out that Jaffer, with 31 Tests to his name, would have taken over as chairman had he been chosen.

The Telegraph, citing unnamed sources, reported that the board preferred Powar so that the selectors remain aligned with the team management’s current thinking in the run-up to the ODI World Cup, with Ojha already familiar with those expectations after more than a year on the panel. These accounts have not been confirmed officially by the BCCI.

Former wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, widely seen as a frontrunner earlier, did not apply before the deadline. According to The Telegraph, he is understood to have pulled back over money: the chairman’s post reportedly pays about ₹3 crore a year, which would have meant giving up television commentary and his role with IPL side Gujarat Titans. Patel has not publicly commented on the report.

The newspaper also said VVS Laxman, head of the Centre of Excellence, is set to sit in on selection meetings more regularly to improve coordination on player fitness and injuries.

Agarkar’s tenure

In a statement quoted by The Telegraph, the BCCI thanked Agarkar for his work since he took charge in July 2023. During that period India won three ICC titles, including the T20 World Cups of 2024 and 2026 and the 2025 Champions Trophy, along with two Asia Cups and successive Asian Games gold medals.

Sources: Sportstar, The Telegraph, ESPNcricinfo