Minutes after taking over as president and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke set in motion the process of finalising the Indian team’s coaching staff.
The BCCI has invited applications for the post of head coach and three assistant coaches. The deadline for submitting applications is June 10.
The announcement, made by Thakur in his first media interaction as BCCI chief, in a way confirmed that Ravi Shastri, who worked as team director for 18 months till the end of India’s World Twenty20 campaign, is unlikely to travel with the team for its limited-over tour of Zimbabwe next month.
Thakur clarified that all existing members of the coaching staff — Shastri and assistant coaches R. Sridhar (fielding), B. Arun (bowling) and Sanjay Bangar (batting) — would have to submit fresh applications if they wished to continue. “It is open to everyone, whether current support staff, from outside India or within India. Anyone who is keen to coach the Indian team or take up other responsibilities,” Thakur said.
Over the last year, despite Shastri & Co. being with the team, the BCCI is understood to have touched base with several high-profile coaches. However, most of them — including Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer and Daniel Vettori — are understood to have been averse to taking charge on a full-time basis.
The fact that the BCCI had approached overseas cricketers, based on recommendations of seniors in the team, didn’t go down well with aspiring coaches in India. This may have prompted the BCCI to invite applications. “This is just part of the transparency initiative. Anybody who feels eligible may apply. We are just widening the net so that everybody feels he can be part of the Indian coaching staff if judged to be the best,” said Shirke.
While Thakur stated a new coach would be appointed “in two months”, there is ambiguity over who would shortlist the candidates for interviews/presentations after June 10. The high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee had been disbanded after Shashank Manohar took over as president last October.
Thakur said the BCCI would decide on the fate of the CAC, which included Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, at its next meeting on May 29. Even if the BCCI decides to revive the committee, Ganguly cannot be included since he has now taken over as Cricket Association of Bengal president.
The Indian team hasn’t had a head coach since Duncan Fletcher’s contract expired after the 2015 World Cup. Though Shastri has filled in as team director since then, there has been considerable delay in the appointment of a coach.
“If you have to go for the best you can’t go with limited choices. So we are keeping it open,” Thakur said.
