Dubai: Who will be the next coach of Team India? With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working committee scheduled to meet on April 26 to debate on the replacement to Coach Duncan Fletcher, whose contract ended on March 31, names of many prospective candidates have emerged.
The important aspect that is being discussed is whether Team India should go in for a foreign coach or an Indian coach. Among the Indians being talked about are former India captains Sourav Ganguly along with Ravi Shastri, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble
Jagmohan Dalmiya, the new president of the BCCI is busy having discussions with many former cricketers on the matter. Many foreign coaches’ names too have sprung up with former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming being the most talked-about candidate for the post.
Ganguly is reportedly being backed by Dalmiya and both recently held a long meeting. However, both refused to disclose details of their meeting to the media. Dalmiya is very close to former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar and he is understood to have picked his brain too on this matter.
Shastri has emerged as a strong candidate following his successful role as Director of Cricket during the Australia tour. It was Shastri who transformed the team into a winning unit after huge setbacks in the Test matches and Tri Series in Australia for the World Cup. Dravid and Kumble are being considered for their knowledge of the game and for their man-management skills which is vital in handling a star-studded squad like Team India.
There are also talks about appointing Shastri permanently as Team Director but the BCCI would opt for it only if they are appointing a foreign coach and not a high profile candidate like Ganguly.
When New Zealand’s Fleming, who is in India as Chennai Super Kings coach, was asked about whether he is keen to coach Team India he remarked that his biggest priority is bringing up his three children and is clearly not ready for the post.
A few have suggested an approach to Sachin Tendulkar for the post but many feel that he will only be apt to be considered in the role of a mentor. The priority for anyone who is being selected as next coach will be to help India win abroad. In the past four years, India have lost 15 overseas Test matches. The fact that India could not beat Australia in a single match in four months is a glaring defect which needs to be rectified.
Even if a new coach takes charge, it is unlikely that the other coaches will be changed. The board members are very impressed with the hard work put in by Bharath Arun as bowling coach, Sanjay Bangar as batting coach and fielding coach M Sridhar during the World Cup. Towards the end of Fletcher’s tenure his trusted deputies Trevor Penny (fielding coach) Joe Dawes (bowling coach) were sacked before the tour to Australia.
The BCCI wants India’s new coach to get enough time to prepare himself for the challenges though India’s next tour is only in June to Bangladesh before they fly to Sri Lanka in August and then host South Africa in October-November and take on Pakistan in UAE during December.
