BCCI puts off naming new coach, says Virat Kohli has no say in matter
Cricket
The BCCI-appointed Cricket Advisory Committee has put the announcement of Indian cricket team coach on hold after interviewing five candidates who applied for the job and having prolonged discussions among themselves on Monday. The CAC made it clear that skipper Virat Kohli had made no preferences about the choice of coach. The committee added that they want to consult him once he is back in India.
No time frame has been set to announce the coach although Sri Lanka tour is starting on July 21 with a two-day warm-up game in Colombo. CAC wants make best decision so that the coach can continue atleast till the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag was the only candidate to appear for coach’ s interview in person at BCCI headquarters here. Lalchand Rajput, Richard Pybus, Ravi Shastri and Tom Moody were interviewed via skype. The CAC comprises former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman. Ganguly and Laxman were present with acting BCCI honorary secretary Amitabh Choudhary and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. Tendulkar joined in via Skype from London.
“We are putting the announcement of coach on hold for the time being. We need a few more days to consult the captain before making the announcement. We are in no hurry as the Sri Lanka tour has still a week to go and it is a long tour. The process has been completed and all the candidates have made presentations and we need to speak to Virat and people who matter. Every coach has different style of working, so we want to discuss it with Virat and other board members. What is key is how we are going to go forward,” Ganguly said.
The CAC had shortlisted six for the interview out of the 10 candidates who have applied for the post. Former West Indies player and coach Phil Simmons wasn’t available for interview on Monday. Shastri and Rajput are currently in London. While Rajput is coaching Afghanistan who will play a 50-over match against MCC at Lords on Tuesday. It was unclear why Shastri didn’t appear in person.
Shastri is considered the front-runner due to his cordial relationship with Kohli from his time as India’s team director that ended last year. Shastri applied for the post after BCCI extended the deadline for acceptance of applications till July 9.