In an unprecedented endeavour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on May 22 released a notification inviting applications from prospective candidates for the post of the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. The post had been lying vacant since the expiry date of the contract of the previous full-time coach, Duncan Fletcher, post the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Since then, Ravi Shastri, the Team Director, and the team of Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar as the batting, bowling and fielding coaches respectively remained associated with the team for another year. The contracts of all four of the aforementioned gentlemen were not renewed upon their expiry by the BCCI at the conclusion of the ICC World T20 2016 held recently in India.
Hence, the search for a new full-time coach had begun right after India’s semi-final exit from the World T20, and it took some time for the BCCI to decide the procedure through which they intended to select the team’s new coach. In a bid to display transparency and to invite participation from interested candidates, the board invited applications for the post, by pre-declaring the requisite qualifications fixing the deadline for such applications on June 10.
The move proved out to be a resounding success, as it was reported by the board on June 11 that as many as 57 applicants had filed in their names. Amongst the who’s who of the cricketing world, former team director Ravi Shastri, the chairman of selectors Sandip Patil, former cricketers Venkatesh Prasad, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Balwinder Sandhu were reported to have applied for the post.
Although the BCCI have not made public any list enumerating those 57 applicants, quite a few of them have openly admitted to the media about their application for the job. Here, in this piece, we analyse some of the applicants’ coaching careers in a quest to decide as to who should be the ideal candidate to coach the Indian Cricket Team, and rate them on a scale of 10.
#6 Venkatesh Prasad : 7/10
Former India fast bowler and the former bowling coach of the Indian Cricket Team, Venkatesh Prasad has been a prominent face in the domestic coaching arena. Post his stint as the bowling coach of the national side, a term that lasted for two years – from 2007 to 2009 – Prasad had coached the Uttar Pradesh Ranji side and was also associated with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Currently, he is the chairman of the national junior selection committee of the BCCI.
Prasad was a part of the coaching personnel of the team that won the ICC World T20 2007 in South Africa. However, after Gary Kirsten’s appointment as India’s full-time head coach, Eric Simmons replaced the Indian veteran as the bowling coach. Earlier last month, Prasad was also offered the post of the bowling coach of the Bangladesh Cricket Team by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
The former right-arm fast medium bowler has 292 international wickets to his name and has played 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India in a career spanning from 1996 to 2001. With his invaluable coaching experience and his association with the Indian domestic circuit through his incumbent position, the 46-year-old may prove out to be one of the favourites for the coveted position when the BCCI’s cricket committee sits down to zero in on the right candidate.
#5 Sandeep Patil : 7.5/10
The incumbent chairman of the Selection Committee of the BCCI, Sandeep Patil has had an accomplished coaching career as well. Being one of the few candidates amongst all the applicants to have coached the Indian cricket team as a full-time head coach in the past, Patil has enjoyed successful coaching stints with Kenya and Oman as well. Patil was at the helm when the Kenyan side made it to the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, which was held in South Africa. The former cricketer’s stint with India in 1996, however, was an unsuccessful one, as he was removed within six months of his appointment.
Thereafter, apart from his terms with Kenya and Oman as their head coach, Patil has also served as the chairman of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He was also approached by the BCCI in 2005 to coach the national side once again but opted not to undertake the responsibility, owing to his commitments with the Oman cricket team. Since September 2012, Patil has been the chairman of the selection committee and is term is due to end in September this year.
Confirming about his application for the job of the head coach, Patil told ESPN Cricinfo, “I am passionate about coaching. When I retired from cricket, I coached Madhya Pradesh, India Under-19, India 'A' and then India. I also had stints with Kenya and Oman which were very satisfying. I have something more to offer in terms of coaching. I have always felt my coaching career was half done and what better than to do it for my country.” Patil played 29 Tests and 45 ODIs for India, between 1980 and 1986 and was also a part of the team that won the Cricket World Cup in 1983.
#4 Stuart Law : 8/10
One of the most high-profile foreign applicants to have expressed their interest for the aforementioned coveted position has been the former Australian middle-order batsman, Stuart Law. Law has had successful stints with the Sri Lankan cricket team and the Bangladesh Cricket team. After retiring from first-class cricket in 2009, he was appointed as the assistant coach of the Sri Lankan national side for a term of two years – from 2009 to 2011 – and was elevated to the position of the head coach the following year. A year after that, the Australian moved to Bangladesh.
Therefore, Law has enough experience of the subcontinental conditions having worked with two of the major subcontinental nations and would be able to easily acclimatise to the Indian conditions if he is appointed as the coach. However, Law remains non-committal to any new responsibility as of now, as he is currently serving as the batting consultant of the Australian cricket team to prepare them for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka in August 2016. It has been reported that after the completion of the tour - on August 25 - if Australia do not require any more of his services, he would be ready and willing to coach the Indian cricket team.
“I was in India for the A Team tour with Australia and was asked the question then about the vacant head coach position in India, the answer is still the same. I would love to work within the Indian cricket team. But only after my contract expires with CA,” Law had said last month. “I feel the national coach of any team is a huge responsibility and must take full commitment from the person selected to start the process with a clear mind and direction. At the moment, I am unable to commit as such. For anyone, it would be a great opportunity to work with some of the most talented cricketers on the planet and a chance to really mould the squad into a team that is feared worldwide. For me, maybe one day.”
#3 Anil Kumble : 8.5/10
The most prolific spin bowler to have ever played for India, Anil Kumble’s stature as a cricketer and as a personnel of the BCCI as well as the ICC has only grown since he hung up his boots in 2008. With 619 Test wickets from 132 Tests and 337 ODI wickets from 271 fifty-over internationals to his name, there is no doubt about his cricketing acumen as such. To add a cherry to the cake, his stints as the mentor of two IPL teams – the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians – have held him in good stead for one of the most sought after positions in Indian cricket. In addition to the aforementioned accomplishments, Kumble is also the Chairman of the Cricket Committee of the International Cricket Council. Therefore, his managerial skills and man-management prowess are also well chronicled.
Having played international cricket for 18 years, Kumble has ample experience of the Indian conditions and is well-acquainted with many of the current crop of Indian cricketers. An able leader, Kumble led India in Tests for a brief period and also led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to the final of the 2nd season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2009. Notwithstanding his lack of experience as a coach of any international/domestic team, the 45-year-old veteran’s reputation and his sheer knowledge of the game to be very handy to this young generation of Indian cricketers, many of whom are still trying to find their feet in the international arena. The former leg spinner is no stranger to overseas conditions as well, and being the most successful Indian spinner on foreign shores, Kumble would also be able to ail the Indian spinners’ frailties away from the subcontinent.
Given these credentials, and being one of the prominent Indian cricketers to have applied for the role, Kumble may get the nod of the BCCI’s cricket committee and may very well be the next coach of the Indian cricket team.
#2 Ravi Shastri : 9/10
One of the prime faces of the campaign and the leading contender amongst the Indian applicants who have applied for the job, former team India director Ravi Shastri has plenty to offer as the full-time coach of then Indian cricket team. Having served as the Team Director for a period close to two years – from July 2014 to April 2016 – Shastri has an inside-out know-how of the affairs of Indian cricket team and has also built long lasting relationships with the Indian skippers across the three formats, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. His two-year association with the team has seen the Indian team scale new highs, while also suffering embarrassing lows at the same time. However, the achievements such as winning the Asia Cup and making it to the semi-finals of the ICC World T20 2016 as well as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 present him in good stead, and he may very well be handed over the reins of the team as a full-time coach.
Shastri's contract had expired after India's semi-final exit from the ICC World T20 2016, when they lost to the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on March 31 this year. The BCCI had decided not to renew his contract and also of the supporting staff, comprising Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar. Bangar, however, was appointed as the interim head coach of the national side for the ongoing tour of Zimbabwe. A potent all-rounder during his heydeys, Shastri has played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India. He has scored 3830 Test runs and has picked up 151 wickets, and 3108 ODI runs and has picked up 129 wickets.
The 54-year-old’s long-term involvement with the BCCI as a commentator, as well as with the national side, and his acquaintance with the current crop of Indian cricketers surely makes him a definite contender for the position.
#1 Praveen Amre : 9.5/10
Perhaps one of the most underrated faces in the Indian domestic arena, as far as successful coaches are concerned, has been the former India batsman turned personal/professional coach, Praveen Amre. Amre’s first campaign with the national side – as a player – was short-lived, as he played just 11 Tests and 37 ODIs, but the coaching career that he undertook thereafter has been long-lasting as well as rewarding for the 47-year-old. Amre has coached the Mumbai Ranji Team to three Ranji Trophy titles, has revolutionised personal coaching in India by coaching the likes of Robin Singh, Robin Uthappa, and Dinesh Karthik, and also guided the India Under-19 Cricket Team to the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup title in 2012.
Amongst the current crop of Indian cricketers, big guns like Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina have already sought Amre’s guidance whenever they have faced difficulties with their batting. Naman Ojha, another cricketer who has been on the fringes of the Indian team has also availed Amre's services. Not only this, the Mumbai-born former cricketer has also set up a cricket academy in Mumbai, named the Cricket India Academy to nurture young talents and contribute to the domestic structure of Indian cricket. The academy, set up in 2009, also has affiliations with Cricket Australia and has former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee as its brand ambassador. What gives Amre an edge over everyone else is his association with the Indian domestic circuit and his knack for identifying and nurturing young talent.
Amre’s prowess as an efficient coach can be judged by Uthappa’s performances in the IPL post the 2013 season. Before the 7th edition of the league, Uthappa sought Amre’s guidance and changed his batting technique a fair bit in a quest to improve his domestic performances and push his chances for a Team India recall. The move paid off handsomely for the Karnataka batsman, as since his association with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, Uthappa, with a changed stance and technique, has been amongst the top run-getters for the franchise over the past three seasons. Therefore, Amre’s long-standing contribution to Indian cricket, his familiarity with the current generation of Indian cricketers, and his continued dedication to coaching makes him the best candidate for the role of the Indian Cricket Team’s head coach.
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