Dubai. The question as to who will be the next Indian cricket team coach has gathered momentum with prospective candidates for the job giving presentations and interviews in Kolkata from Tuesday.
Former Indian captain Anil Kumble, batsman Pravin Amre and former Indian opener Lalchand Rajput have done presentations before a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) four-member cricket advisory panel made up of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale as panel coordinator. The panel is expected to pick India’s next head coach on Wednesday, following which the BCCI will announce the successful candidate after the board’s working committee meeting on Friday.
The BCCI trimmed a list of 57 candidates that applied for the post down to 21. The slimmed down list was presented to the panel.
Ravi Shastri, who was the Indian team director until the end of the World Twenty20, is considered a strong candidate but with former Indian batsman and chairman of the selection committee Sandeep Patil applying for the job, and former Indian captain Anil Kumble throwing his name into the hat, the panel facing a tough time.
There are even talks that Shastri may continue as India’s team director, with the coach’s post will be given to a highly experienced coach with an international standing.
Former Indian pacer-turned-coach Venkatesh Prasad, 1983 World Cup star bowler Balwinder Singh Sandhu and former Bangladesh coach Stuart Law are also in the fray.
Though all the candidates have not reached Kolkata it is understood that the panel may even conduct interviews through video conferences.
BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke is on record as saying that the deadline to announce the new coach could be extended if the panel needs more time.
What has made the task difficult for the panel is the inclusion of Patil and Kumble.
Patil coached India in 1996 and also guided Kenya into 2003 World Cup semi-final as their coach.
Kumble hasn’t coached any international team as per the BCCI’s requirement for the post. While advertising for the post, the BCCI had said the candidates should have successfully coached a cricket team of any of the member countries of the ICC, at the first class or international level. It also says the candidate should be qualified through a certification/assessment programme conducted by any of the full member countries and currently possess such a valid certification.
While Kumble does not possess both these qualifications, he is widely considered to be one of the shrewdest captains to have led India. His strongest point will be his credentials as Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians mentor in the Indian Premier League.
The panel will find it tough to ignore Kumble, who is country’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, with 619 scalps from 132 matches.
The new coach is expected to be given a three-year contract that will run until the 2019 World Cup.
India has a busy season coming up with 17 Test matches to be played between July and March. These include four in the Caribbean and 13 Tests at home starting from October. Whoever be the next coach his task will be to make Indian team the No. 1 side in the world across all formats.
