India head coach Anil Kumble is likely to accompany the team for the West Indies tour after the conclusion of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, according to the reports.
With Kumble’s contract expiring at the end of the Champions Trophy, the Board Of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had invited applications for the coach’s post last month and has already received a good response.
Earlier reports were suggesting that the Men in Blue will have a new coach at the helm for the Caribbean tour but according to a report in The Indian Express, Kumble is likely to be retained for the limited-overs series beginning from June 23, just five days after the Champions Trophy.
The report claimed that BCCI acting president CK Khanna feels there is might not be enough time for the new coach to join the team for the tour and has hence suggested continuing with Kumble for the tour of West Indies.
“The acting president spoke to senior members and we are all of the opinion that the matter be placed before the SGM in Mumbai on June 26. Till such time, any recruitment process should be kept on hold. The majority of the members are of the same opinion,” senior board functionary Rajiv Shukla was quoted as saying by PTI.
“BCCI president CK Khanna has suggested that as Champions Trophy is still on, it will be not feasible to take decision on Indian team coach now. The Champions Trophy final will get over on 18th whereas Indian team is leaving for West Indies on 20th. There is no time left at the same time if CAC picks a new coach he may not join Indian team. So it’s better to extend Kumble contract for one more series,” a board official told the news outlet.
Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag, Dodda Ganesh, Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput and Richard Pybus have applied for the coach’s post while Kumble has got a direct entry.
The new coach will be selected in a similar process that saw Kumble being appointed the head coach in June last year. After the applicants apply for the post, they will be reviewed by the board’s three-member panel, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. The trio will conduct interviews and seek presentations before selecting the next coach. The entire process will be overseen by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri.