Virender Sehwag To Apply For Team India Chief Coach Job
May 28, 2017 at 11:49 AM
Former India batsman Virender Sehwag has been reportedly told by the officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to apply for the post of India coach.
With current head coach Anil Kumble’s contract expiring at the end of the ICC Champions Trophy, the BCCI, in an attempt to ensure a fair and completely transparent process, has decided not to renew his contract despite his impressive stint and has invited applicants for the chief coach’s post.
Kumble was appointed as the head coach in June last year and began his term with a 2-0 Test series victory in West Indies. In the following mammoth home season, the Virat Kohli-led side won 10 Tests, registering series victories over New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia, respectively. India also won the limited-overs series against New Zealand and England.
But the BCCI has decided to follow the long-existing process and has asked the applicants to apply for the coveted job. And in an attempt to find the most suitable candidate, the board officials, it seems, are themselves approaching the candidates to apply for the job.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Sehwag was contacted by one of the general managers of the BCCI on the sidelines of an IPL game and was asked to apply for the job of the coach.
“We have contacted Sehwag during the IPL and asked him to consider applying for the job of India coach. But he won’t be the only one applying because we expect other former players to also throw their hats in the ring,” a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by the news outlet.
However, Sehwag has dismissed all the rumours and has told The Sunday Express that he had not been contacted yet.
The news further claimed that some Indian players are unhappy with Kumble and have already conveyed it to the Committee of Administrators (CoA).
“The board wants to go through the process of selection of coach again. Also, the next contract is likely to run until the 2019 World Cup, so even the length of the contract has to be taken into consideration before appointing the coach. We don’t want a scenario where the players and the coach are not on the same page,” a BCCI insider told the news outlet.
The new coach will be selected in a similar process that saw Kumble leaving behind other competitors to land the coaching job 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 Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. The trio will conduct interviews and seek presentations before selecting the next coach. The entire process, meanwhile, will be overseen by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. The Supreme Court-appointed CoA has also insisted that BCCI officials should be kept away from the working of the Cricket Committee.
“This is to ensure that the process remains fair. We don’t want a scenario where the decision to pick a coach gets influenced by what has happened in the pay negotiations where Kumble is bargaining hard with BCCI officials,” said another official.
The board officials have also made it clear that the players’ opinion will not be considered while selecting the new coach.