The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly considering former India spinner and IPL winner Pragyan Ojha for a role as a national selector. This potential appointment comes amidst the recent announcement of India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, a selection that has already stirred debate and discussion.
The BCCI has officially invited applications for two positions on the men's selection committee, currently led by former India pacer Ajit Agarkar. The deadline for applications is September 10, 2025, though the BCCI has not specified which current members will be replaced or which zones the new members will represent. It is expected that one of the new members will be from the South Zone and the other from the Central Zone.
According to reports, Pragyan Ojha is a leading candidate to replace S Sharath from the South Zone, whose term has ended. Sharath may return to the junior selection committee. The identity of the new Central Zone representative remains unclear. The current selection committee, in addition to Agarkar and Sharath, includes SS Das and Subroto Banerjee, who have both represented the East Zone in their playing days, and Ajay Ratra.
To be eligible for a national selector position, applicants must have played a minimum of seven Test matches or 30 first-class games, or 10 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 20 first-class matches. They also must have retired from cricket at least five years prior and not have served on any BCCI committee during that period. Ojha meets these criteria, having retired from international cricket in February 2020.
Ojha's cricket career includes 24 Test matches, 18 ODIs, and 6 T20Is for India. In Test cricket, the left-arm spinner took 113 wickets, with his best performance being 10 wickets for 89 runs in a match. He also claimed 21 wickets in ODIs and 10 in T20Is. Furthermore, Ojha had a successful IPL career, playing for teams like Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders. He was known for his accuracy and variations and played a key role in Mumbai Indians' title-winning campaigns.
The selection of India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025, led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, has generated some controversy. Some decisions have raised eyebrows, with certain proven IPL performers being overlooked while other players with less impressive records were selected. For example, Shreyas Iyer, who scored 604 runs in IPL 2025, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 559 runs, were not included in the squad. The chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, indicated that the Asia Cup squad holds the key to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The potential inclusion of Pragyan Ojha in the selection committee could bring a fresh perspective and new insights, especially with his experience as a spinner and his understanding of the modern game through his IPL career. His familiarity with players from different zones and his analytical abilities could be valuable assets in the selection process. With the T20 World Cup to be held at home next year, Ojha's experience could be particularly useful.
