Correspondent, 19 October: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a major update to its men's selection committee, appointing former left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha as the full-time chief selector. Ojha, who previously held the position in an interim capacity, will officially step in to replace Ajit Agarkar.
According to official information provided by the BCCI on Monday, former cricketer Ramesh Powar has also been added to the selection panel. Ojha was awarded the chairmanship based on his seniority in Test matches. Alongside Ojha and Powar, the newly formed committee will include Shiv Sunder Das, RP Singh, and Ajay Ratra as members.
The applicant pool for the chief selector position included Wasim Jaffer, Ramesh Powar, Connor Williams, and Jacob Martin. The Cricket Advisory Committee scrutinized and interviewed all the candidates at the BCCI headquarters. Following this evaluation process, the committee unanimously recommended Powar's appointment, while the BCCI favored Ojha for the chief selector role.
While announcing these changes, the BCCI also released a statement praising outgoing chief selector Ajit Agarkar. The board extended its special thanks to Agarkar, acknowledging his commitment and contributions during his tenure.
An interesting coincidence regarding Pragyan Ojha's playing career is that his final international appearance coincided with Sachin Tendulkar's farewell match. During that historic game played on November 16 against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium, India secured a victory by an innings and 126 runs.
Ojha was named the 'Man of the Match' in that fixture after claiming 10 wickets, taking five in each innings. Despite this exceptional performance, he was never picked for the national squad again, bringing his international career to an abrupt end. Now, the former cricketer transitions into his new role as the chief selector for the Indian team.
