FORMALITY, BUT BCCI INVITES APPLICATION FOR INDIA HEAD COACH’S POST

NEW DELHI: A couple of days after convincing former India captain Rahul Dravid to take up the responsibility, the BCCI on Sunday issued advertisement for the post of head coach and three support staff as per Lodha Committee mandated constitution.

It is a foregone conclusion that Dravid, who is currently heading the NCA and has been the guiding force behind the India A and U-19 programmes, is set to take over. Dravid has already informally agreed during his discussion with top BCCI officials. However, the BCCI needs to have a Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) in place and they will have to make a formal recommendation to the BCCI apex council, if one goes by the book. The last date of application for all posts is October 26.

That is the reason the BCCI has now issued the advertisement for the head coach’s post for a period of two years till 2023 ODI World Cup, along with positions for batting, bowling and fielding coaches.

Ravi Shastri, along with bowling coach Bharath Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar, will complete tenure at the end of India’s T20 World Cup campaign next month. Batting coach Vikram Rathour, though he doesn’t have any performance to show during his two-year tenure from 2019 till date, is expected to get an extension if he applies.

For the bowling coach’s position, the long-standing India A and U-19 coach Paras Mhambrey, a trusted ally of Dravid, is expected to get the job. For the head coach’s post, the incumbent will have to play either 30 Tests or 50 ODIs, along with experience of either coaching a national team for two years or any IPL team for three years.