Bhubaneswar: Former India cricketer Pragyan Ojha is set to join the Indian Men’s Cricket Team selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, filling one of the vacant spots in the committee.
According to reports, Ojha may replace Sridharan Sharath, representing the South Zone, in the committee.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited applications for positions in the men’s and women’s selection committees. For the men’s committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, two new selectors will be inducted, while four new members will join the women’s committee. The application deadline is September 10.
The new inductees into the men’s committee are expected to represent the South and Central zones. It’s likely that Pragyan Ojha, a former India international, will replace S Sharath from the South Zone, whose term has ended. However, the representation for the Central zone and the selector being replaced are yet to be determined.
The current men’s committee will see the contracts of West and North Zone selectors extended, as Ajit Agarkar and Ajay Ratra were recently inducted. To be eligible, applicants must have played at least seven Tests, 10 ODIs, or 20 First-Class matches and must have retired from the game at least five years prior. They should not have served on any BCCI Cricket Committee for more than five years cumulatively.
Born in Odisha, Ojha played 24 Tests, 18 ODIs and six T20Is between 2009 and 2013. He was quite lethal in pitches that offered turn and picked 113 wickets in Tests including seven five-wicket hauls. He took 21 wickets in ODIs and 10 in T20Is.
Ojha represented two franchises during his IPL career – Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians – and finished with 89 wickets at an economy of 7.36 from 92 games. He retired from international cricket in February 2020.
