6 in fray for coach’s job of Indian men’s cricket team
Mumbai: Former team director Ravi Shastri will be the front-runner when the three-member cricket advisory committee (CAC) meets here Monday to scrutinize candidates for the high-profile job of Indian men’s cricket team coach. Sources indicated here Sunday that six of the 10 applicants – Shastri, Virender Sehwag, Lalchand Rajput, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus and Phil Simmons – have been asked to appear before the CAC.
Among the three-member CAC, two – Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman will be present in person during the interview. The other, Sachin Tendulkar, who is currently in England will join via Skype.
After the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli saga, the CAC will have to be prudent in its choice as the new coach will be given a two-year contract. It is this development that makes Shastri a favourite for the job, given his cordial relationship with Kohli. The CAC will definitely get a briefing from BCCI CEO Rahul Johuri who is returning Monday morning from Jamaica. He had gone there to assess the team’s opinion about who they would prefer to be their coach.
The two other possible contenders for the job are Sehwag and Moody. But then Sehwag is yet to demonstrate his potential as a coach. He has been a mentor with Kings XI Punjab for two years, but has nothing really to show for his efforts.
Moody’s CV and demeanour, in contrast to Sehwag, is much more impressive. He guided Sri Lanka to the 2007 World Cup finals and also fashioned Sunrisers Hyderabad’s IPL triumph in 2016. Also his capacity to work quietly behind the scene is an added advantage. Moody had also applied the last time, but lost out to Kumble.
The support staff of the Indian team will also change with the appointment of the new coach. If Sashtri gets the coveted job, then Bharath Arun will definitely return as the bowling coach. If Moody is appointed, the same job will go to Craig McDermot.
The other big name who has applied for the post but has been asked to be on stand-by is South African Lance Klusner. But his chances appear very remote indeed.
Key notes
Under Shastri India reached the semifinals of the 50 overs World Cup, won an ODI series in England
Sehwag has so far only acted as mentor of KXIP
Among the other applicants are Lalchand Rajput, Dodda Ganesh and Rakesh Sharma (Oman national team coach)
