India men’s selection committee set for a shake-up, 3-time IPL winner to make entry from South Zone

There is set to be a shake-up in the BCCI’s selection committee for the men’s national cricket team, as a pair of vacancies opens the door for new names to join Ajit Agarkar’s team ahead of a busy schedule in the next couple of years. Alongside the men’s selection committee opening up two slots, as advertised on the BCCI’s website, the women’s selection committee under chair Neetu David is set for a near-total revamp, as all four slots are set to be replaced.

As per the Times of India, the frontrunner to take over one of the slots in the men’s committee will be former left-arm orthodox spinner Pragyan Ojha, who could be in line to take over from Sridharan Sharath as the member of the committee from the South Zone. Ojha, a veteran of 24 Test matches and a long first-class career, will serve under Agarkar, who had his contract as chief selector extended by a year following India’s successes in the T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy under his tenure.

Sharath, meanwhile, is expected to make his return to the junior selection committee panel, having served a two-year stint for the senior team. Sharath was formerly in the junior committee when India lifted the U19 World Cup trophy in 2022 in the West Indies. Sharath’s last major selection call would have been for the upcoming Asia Cup announced earlier this week, while Ojha will have next year’s home T20 World Cup to look forward to as a major first tournament.

Ojha becomes eligible for the selection panel, given it has been 5 years since he announced his retirement from international cricket in February 2020. Along with eligible members of the panel needing to have retired from the sport for 5 years, the criteria for application also require a minimum of seven Test matches or 30 First Class matches.

As for the women’s selection committee, Neetu David’s team selected their 15 for the upcoming WODI World Cup on home turf, the biggest tournament for the women’s team in terms of importance and stature in over two decades. However, wholesale changes are expected in the committee in the wake of this decision, with the one vacant slot as well as the three currently occupied slots up for grabs.