Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha will join the Ajit Agarkar-led men selection committee. As reports suggest, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is gearing up to make changes as it has invited applications to two new positions in the panel.
BCCI Invites Applications for Selection Panel
The BCCI has set the deadline of interested candidates to submit their application to September 10. The board has however not indicated which of the current selectors will be replaced and the zones they represent. It is reported that the new appointees will be those of Central and South Zones.
Ojha has been appointed in place of S Sharath whose term in the South Zone is over. Although his successor seems to be simple, the name of the new Central Zone selector is still unknown.
Pragyan Ojha Likely to Replace S Sharath
Outgoing panel, the South and Central Zones were represented by S Sharath and SS Das, respectively. Since Sharath has now passed his term, the name that has come up as the most probable candidate to succeed him is Ojha.
“S Sharath, from the South, has completed his term, and the perception is that Pragyan Ojha, a former India international, will replace him. It is still not clear who will represent the Central zone and who will be replaced. In the current committee, SS Das and Subrato Banerjee have both represented both East zones in their playing days,” the report said.
Although Ojha is a strong candidate of the South Zone, the Central Zone nomination still remains a matter of speculation. So far BCCI has been silent on the issue of potential names.
BCCI Sets Clear Eligibility for Candidates
The eligibility norms are unchanged as in the previous years by the BCCI Any candidate has to have played at least seven Test matches or 30 first-class games.
Otherwise, it is also available to players who have played 10 ODIs and 20 first-class matches. These criteria make sure that only professional cricketers will end up in the committee.
A senior board official highlighted, “The contracts of selectors are renewed annually. We have not yet identified which selectors will be replaced, but that process will be undertaken soon.”
Current BCCI Committee Under Ajit Agarkar
The current men selection committee is headed by former pacer Ajit Agarkar who assumed the position recently. The panel includes SS Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra and S Sharath, in addition to him.
It was this group that was charged with the responsibility of finalizing India teams to participate in the forthcoming Asia cup. As Ojha is most likely to join, and another new face in the Central Zone is likely to be added, there will be a major reshuffling of the selection framework of the BCCI.
It is this combination of experience and three time IPL-winning point of view that Ojha brings to the table as he joins the new look committee in the coming few weeks.
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