The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Sunday (July 9), trimmed down the list of Team India head coach’s applications from ten to six. Ravi Shastri, Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Phil Simmons, Richard Pybus and Lalchand Rajput have been shortlisted by the board while Dodda Ganesh, Lance Klusener, Rakesh Sharma (former Oman coach) and Upendranath Brahmachari ( a layman with no cricketing background) were eliminated from the race.
And while there is no denying that the six shortlisted candidates are some of the biggest names in world cricket, reports are suggesting that the race to replace Anil Kumble is between Virender Sehwag and Ravi Shastri. Interestingly, Sehwag is the least experienced candidate among the six but the way things have panned out so far, he is one of the front-runners to bag the role. It should be recalled that Sehwag was not interested in applying for the post but changed his mind after being persuaded by the BCCI officials during the Indian Premier League when he was mentoring Kings XI Punjab.
The likes of Richard Pybus, Tom Moody, Phil Simmons and Lalchand Rajput have done a phenomenal job as coach but have reportedly fallen behind in the race. Rajput has coached India A, India Under-19 and the Afghanistan national team in addition to being the Team Manager of India during the victorious 2007 World T20. On the other hand, former Australia batsman Tom Moody led Sunrisers Hyderabad to Indian Premier League title in 2016 and was the coach of Sri Lanka when they qualified for the 2007 World Cup final. Pybus is one of the most sought after names in cricketing circles when it comes to coaching, having guided the Titans and the Cape Cobras to nine championship titles over six seasons, winning the Supersport Series Four Day Competition four times and has also coached Pakistan and Bangladesh. Simmons also boasts an impressive track record as coach due to his impressive job as Ireland and West Indies head coach, guiding the latter to the World T20 title last year.
However, if reports in NDTV are to be believed, then the race to become India’s head coach is now a “two-horse race” between Shastri and Sehwag. Well, one cannot deny the report given the way things have turned out in last one year or so.
First of all, the Cricket Advisory Committee’s affinity for an Indian coach was very much evident when the three-member panel chose a relatively inexperienced Anil Kumble. Moreover, after Kumble’s bitter exit and the board confirming that the new coach will be handed a two-year contract, the CAC will be keen to appoint a man with whom the players can feel comfortable. Meanwhile, the new coach is expected to be announced by Monday (July 10) evening.