Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) pruned the list of 57 applicants to 21 “eligible candidates” for the post of India’s head coach, it has roped in the erstwhile high-profile cricket advisory committee, including Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman, to recommend the man for the job.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke announced the appointment of Sanjay Jagdale, a former national selector and BCCI secretary, as the chief coordinator of the coach selection committee.
“The said committee under the coordination of Jagdale will process and scrutinise all the (21) applications, conduct interviews and seek presentations from candidates as the committee deems fit.
“Should the committee desire to look at all the 57 applications as well, the said will be made available to them,” stated Shirke. “The committee is expected to give its report by June 22 to the honorary secretary of the BCCI.”
It is thus expected that the working committee meeting in Dharamshala on June 24 will disclose the new India coach, well in time for the team’s four-Test series in the West Indies. The BCCI statement added that the committee would operate from the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai for the next week. Since Tendulkar is overseas, he has agreed to make himself available through video-conferencing.
Kumble shortlisted? The BCCI officials, meanwhile, remained tight-lipped over whether former India captain Anil Kumble featured in the list of 21 shortlisted candidates.
Since Kumble doesn’t have the experience of having coached a first-class or an international team, as stipulated by the norms prescribed for the post, it is a matter of conjecture whether the former India captain features in the list.
However, even if he is not shortlisted, the coach selection committee can consider Kumble as the BCCI statement specifies that the panel can look beyond the 21 who are in contention.
