The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has initiated the process of appointing a new head coach for the Indian team, along with batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, physiotherapist, strength and conditioning coach and administrative manager of the Indian men’s team. With the ICC Cricket World cup conclusion, the contract of India’s coaching and support staff has also come to an end.
BCCI has invited applications for the Indian cricket team’s support staff including for the position of the head coach. Now, the question is who will apply for this post.
Who will be India’s Next Head Coach
In two separate meetings held in the last couple of months, the decision to appoint a head coach as well as the new five-member national selection committee was approved by Committee of Administrators (CoA) members Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji and Lt. Gen. (Retd) Ravi Thodge. The CoA has approached three former players; Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad, and Shantha Rangaswamy and appointed them as the ad-hoc panel to replace the now nonfunctional Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).
Previously, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman were part of the CAC but due to conflict of interest issue, they decided to step away.
Most importantly, CAC or the ad-hoc panel can only pick the Head Coach and the rest that are; batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, trainer, physio and the administrative manager has to be picked by Rahul Johri who is a CEO of BCCI.
“The BCCI has approached the three former cricketers and all three of them gave approval for the same. Once the deadline for application for the post, which is July 30, comes to an end, the next steps for the ad-hoc panel will be informed to them,” a senior BCCI official informed CricketNext on Wednesday.
Criteria for applicants
Aspiring candidates have to apply for particular posts on or by 5 pm, on July 30. BCCI has selected criteria for applicants through which the selection process will be done for team Indias’s head coach.
- The applicant needs to be less than 60 years of age
- He should have a minimum international experience of two years.
- The head coach should have coached a Test-playing nation for a minimum of two years or three years with an associate member/A team/IPL side
- The applicant also should have played 30 Tests or 50 ODIs.
- The criteria remain the same for batting, bowling and fielding coach except for the number of games played. The three personnel should have played at least 10 Tests or 25 ODIs and be less than 60 years of age.
Here are five coaches who should apply for India’s next coach
Tom Moody
The 53-year-old former Australian cricketer is also a good choice for the team as he is already coaching the IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad. His IPL team has done well enough for the last four years, they have successfully reached the playoffs proving to be the best contender each season.
Mahela Jayawardane
The 43-year-old legendary batsman from Sri Lanka is also a suitable option as a head coach. Jayawardane has also guided key Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah. Mumbai also lifted the trophy this year so this might well help the Sri Lankan legend in getting the contract.
Stephen Fleming
He is the coach of IPL’s most successful team Chennai Super Kings. He has been with the Kings for quite some time and has a good bonding with the Indian cricketers.
Ricky Ponting
The two-time world cup winning captain can be a sheer peace of treasure for the Indian cricket team. It was under his captaincy team Australia dominated the world cricket as a force. Pointing has also worked with Delhi Capitals and other franchise like Mumbai Indians and he had proved his worth.
Sourav Ganguly
The man who lead team India in overseas victory, the man who taught India to fight back, Kolkata’s left-hander could be a complete package as a coach to team India. But, the setback is, Dada has not previously coached any International side which is a must in BCCI’s criteria. In IPL Ganguly played a crucial role as a mentor which helped Delhi Capitals perform well in this year’s tournament. It will be interesting to see how BCCI looks into this.
