What is the story about?
Ramesh Powar has replaced Ajit Agarkar as the West Zone selector in the BCCI's five-member selection committee, but Pragyan Ojha will take charge as the chairman
of the committee. Agarkar's tenure ended after three years in charge earlier this month. Powar joins Ojha, RP Singh, Shiv Sundar, and Ajay Ratra in the Indian Men's cricket team's selection committee. The announcement has come after the BCCI announced a vacancy earlier this month for a selector. All applicants were interviewed by BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising of Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape.
Why Has Pragyan Ojha Been Named Chairman Of Selectors?
Ojha has been named as the chairman of selectors since he has played the most number of Test matches in the panel. The left-spinner featured in 24 Test matches for India, while Das played 23 games in the longest format for India. Meanwhile, RP Singh played 14 Tests for India, while Ratra and Powar featured in six and two games for the national team in red-ball cricket.
Ojha joined the committee in September 2025 alongside RP Singh, while Ratra had joined in 2024. Meanwhile, Das had joined at the same time as Agarkar in June 2023.
Who Is Ramesh Powar?
Pawar was an off-spinner who hailed from Mumbai and played 2 Tests and 31 ODIs for the national team. While he was a highly rated player, he missed out on selection for the Indian team on a consistent basis, as he played in the same era when Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble played for India.
Post his retirement, Powar has been closely involved with Indian cricket and was the head coach of the Indian women's cricket team in 2018 and 2021-2022. Later, he has also been serving as a spin-bowling coach at BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE). Meanwhile, he was also the head coach of the Mumbai team and guided them to the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also served as the head coach of the Gujarat team from 2023 to 2026.
BCCI Pays Tribute To Ajit Agarkar
While announcing Powar's appointment and Ojha's promotion, the BCCI also paid tribute to Agarkar for his contribution in the top job.
"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," said BCCI.
