Former India cricketer and coach Ramesh Powar has been appointed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Men’s Selection Committee as the West Zone representative. The appointment is part of a reshuffle in the five-member panel, with former India spinner Pragyan Ojha taking over as chairperson, replacing Ajit Agarkar.
India lost the match and exited the competition. Powar’s tenure as India women’s head coach also drew attention during the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Veteran batter Mithali Raj was left out of India’s playing XI for the semi-final against England, despite having scored two half-centuries earlier in the tournament.
The former off-spinner brings international playing experience and a coaching background to the selection panel. He represented India in Test and One-Day International (ODI) cricket before moving into coaching, where he worked with the Indian women’s team and several domestic sides. After retiring from international cricket, he moved into coaching and went on to hold several prominent positions in Indian cricket, including head coach of the India women’s national team. Following his playing career, Powar moved into coaching and worked across international and domestic cricket. He served as head coach of the India women’s team and also coached Mumbai and Gujarat. In addition, he worked as a bowling coach at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. During his tenure with the Indian women’s team, Powar was associated with a period that included an Aisa Cup title and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. His experience in international cricket, domestic competitions and player development adds another dimension to his new role as a selector.
Powar’s international record includes six wickets in Test cricket and 34 wickets in ODIs. His best ODI bowling figures were 3/24. He also scored 163 runs in ODIs, including a half-century. His domestic record was more extensive, with 470 wickets in 148 first-class matches. He also scored 4,245 runs in first-class cricket, demonstrating his ability to contribute with the bat. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Powar played 27 matches and claimed 13 wickets. Powar was replaced by WV Raman in December 2018. He returned as head coach of the India women’s team in May 2021 and was part of the coaching setup during the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup.
