The process of identifying the best possible candidate to coach the Indian cricket team will gain momentum in the next week. With Duncan Fletcher’s contract ending after the World Cup, the new regime of the Board will pick a new coach in a fortnight.
The Board will invite applications and the candidates submit their presentations to a panel of players and officials.
The BCCI had begun the practice of appointing foreign coaches with John Wright. He was followed by Greg Chappell, Gray Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher. Kirsten happened to be the most successful, guiding the team to the World Cup title in 2011, even though many believe that Wright had laid the foundation for the structure of the team in association with Sourav Ganguly.
It is learnt that Ganguly, now involved with the Cricket Association of Bengal, is not averse to accepting the responsibility though some Board officials are apprehensive of his aggressive style.
“Too strong likes and dislikes,” an official pointed out.
But the counter-argument is that Ganguly and Virat Kohli could make a hit pair since they share the habit of playing positively. In other words they don’t believe in defensive tactics, and Ganguly, who took charge of the team in difficult times following the match-fixing scandal in 2000, is acknowledged as an astute reader of the game.
“He will be an asset,” said a Board official.
The Board is keen to have a coach with ideal “man management skills, strategic thinking, a meticulous approach and a vision to take the game forward.”
The most important issue, in the opinion of the Board, is the ability to assess the team and utilise the bench strength optimally. The Board will not entertain anyone who comes with “attached baggage” and certainly not a coach with “strong likes and dislikes”.
Names have sprung up at various times, from Ravi Shastri to Ganguly to former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming. If Fleming gets the nod, he would have to relinquish his association with CHennai SUper Kings. Ganguly has no such encumbrancess even though the current support staff of the Indian team, all handpicked by Shastri, is involved with different teams in IPL.
The Board would like to retain Shastri as the Team Director since the team was reportedly happy with his presence in the dressing room, said a senior Board official.
A lot, however, would depend on the offer that the Board makes to Shastri, who is willing to relinquish his media assignments.
“We shall take a decision in the next fortnight,” BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said. “We have not yet put our thoughts to it because we have to weigh all possible candidates. We will have a detailed discussion on the possibility of a coach from abroad. I am not against an Indian taking up the job. There are many factors that will be considered. It will be a collective decision aimed at boosting the interest of Indian cricket.
A majority of the Board officials are of the opinion that the new coach should ensure a “healthy atmosphere” with space to “groom and perform”.
