Ajay Shirke, the secretary of the Board of control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yesterday revealed that they have received several meritorious applications, among 57, for the post of the coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.
These applications range from foreigners to nationals.
He remained non-committal on whether the BCCI would announce the coach’s appointment following the Working Committee meeting that is scheduled for June 24 in Dharamsala.
He said that there is no deadline for it. He also said that the first step is to make a list of eligible candidates and then further scrutiny can be made, after which the most suitable candidates will go through “a process of interviews and presentations.
He refused to comment on whether or not the high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman will be consulted.
This committee was formed during the tenure of late Jagmohan Dalmiya, but has remained largely non-functional since then.
He did say that all Test match staging associations have been asked for suggestions to the BCCI so that more spectators interested in the traditional form of the sport for attracting more spectators for the most traditional form of the game.
Shirke said, “Test cricket has been experiencing reduced viewership. The president is very keen that side of the game should also be developed and not be neglected.”
Seen as a dying form of the sport by many experts, test cricket seems to be a center in the board’s decision making process as they look to pick the head coach for the team.
The aim seems to be to finalize a coach after the end of India’s current tour of Zimbabwe. India won the three match series 3-0.
