The BCCI on October 19, 2026 named former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha as chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, ending Ajit Agarkar’s tenure. Ojha takes the chair on seniority — his 24 Tests are the most among the five members of the new panel.
Alongside the change at the top, the board brought in former India off-spinner Ramesh Powar as a selector, on the unanimous recommendation of the Cricket Advisory Committee — Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape — after interviews conducted at the BCCI headquarters.
The full five-member panel now reads: Pragyan Ojha (chairperson), Shiv Sundar Das, RP Singh, Ajay Ratra and Ramesh Powar.
Ojha, who turned out in 24 Tests, 18 ODIs and six T20Is for India, is no stranger to the top job — he served as interim chief selector, a stint that gave the board a direct read on his temperament and working style before confirming the full appointment.
Powar arrives with a deep coaching résumé. He played two Tests and 31 ODIs for India between 2004 and 2007, then built a second career on the touchline — two stints as head coach of the India women’s team, guiding them to the Asia Cup title and silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph with Mumbai, and, over the last two seasons, the head coach’s job with Gujarat’s senior men’s side.
The new committee’s first major assignment is already at the door: India’s all-format tour of New Zealand, beginning on October 22 with five T20Is, followed by five ODIs and two Tests.
Ojha and Powar succeed a tenure that will be difficult to match. Agarkar served from July 2023 to October 4, 2026 — a golden run in which India lifted the T20 World Cups of 2024 and 2026, the Champions Trophy in 2025, two Asia Cups and gold medals at two consecutive Asian Games.
That record sets a formidable benchmark. The bar for the new committee is not merely matching that trophy haul but managing the transition across formats as a fresh generation of cricketers presses its case for selection.
The panel’s composition — a former spinner in the chair, a new selector steeped in modern coaching, alongside experienced hands in Das, Singh and Ratra — suggests continuity with an eye on how today’s dressing rooms actually function.
The New Zealand tour will offer the first window into how the new panel thinks: squad balance for a demanding all-format itinerary, workload calls on senior players, and the early shape of India’s red-ball plans for the next championship cycle.
