Ramesh Powar appointed as national selector; Ojha to continue as panel chairman

Former Indian spinner Ramesh Powar was on Monday (October 19, 2026) drafted into the national men's senior selection committee, while Pragyan Ojha remained the chairman of the panel, succeeding Ajit Agarkar, whose term ended on October 4.

The BCCI said interim head Ojha will chair the committee based on seniority. The former left-arm spinner played 24 Tests across his five-year-long career.

"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.

The 48-year-old Powar represented India in two Tests and 31 ODIs during his playing career.

He has since held coaching roles, including head coach of the Indian women's team, Mumbai and Gujarat, besides being a bowling coach at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here.

During his stint with the India Women’s team, Powar marshalled its Asia Cup title win in 2022, and a Commonwealth Games silver medal.

Though his international career was a brief one, Powar, a capable off-spinner, remained a Mumbai stalwart, plucking 470 wickets across 148 first-class matches.

He was also a handy lower-order batter, scoring 4245 runs with seven hundreds and 17 fifties.

PTI understands that the screening process for the new selector was held on October 15 at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

Apart from Powar, former Indian cricketers Salil Ankola, Wasim Jaffer, Jacob Martin and Connor Williams also appeared for the interview.

However, the CAC members zeroed in on Powar to ensure continuity at the helm at least until the 2027 50-over World Cup in South Africa.

Jaffer had played 31 Tests for India between 2000 and 2008, scoring 1944 runs at an average of 34 with five hundreds.

So, had the Mumbaikar been chosen, then he would have replaced Ojha as the chairman of selectors.

The BCCI also lauded Agarkar for rendering remarkable service to Indian cricket as the chairman of selectors.

"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.

Men's Selection Committee:

Pragyan Ojha (Chairperson), Shiv Sundar Das, RP Singh, Ajay Ratra, Ramesh Powar.