Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman interview the applicants for India coach

With the hunt for the next Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team entering its final stages, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Cricket Advisory Committee met in Kolkata on Tuesday to interview the finalised candidates for the post. It must be reminded that after the BCCI had opened the window for applications for the role – a first of its kind endeavour – 57 candidates had, reportedly, applied, out of which the board had finalised 21 names for interviews.

The CAC comprises of names like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, and they would be interviewing candidates such as Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble, both of whom have been Tendulkar’s former teammates.

Tendulkar, it has been reported, would join the interview panel via a video conference due to his unavailability in person for the task.

It is expected that the committee would also view presentations that are expected to be given from the candidates. Several former cricketers and present coaches who have been associated with different teams had applied with the names including but not limited to Praveen Amre, Sandeep Patil, Venkatesh Prasad, and Lalchand Rajput apart from Kumble and Shastri.

The Chairman of the International Cricket Council’s Cricket Committee, Kumble was the last popular face to have applied for the role and has widely been considered as one of the fore-runners for the job, given his long-term association with Indian cricket, both at the domestic and international levels.

Shastri, the former Director of the Indian Cricket Team has also applied for the role and is the other major contender for the post, mainly due to his recently concluded association with the team and his familiarity with the current crop of Indian cricketers. His reputation as one of the better all-rounders that India have had, along with his experience of 80 tests and 150 ODIs also hold him in good stead.

The incumbent Chairman of the BCCI’s selection committee, Sandeep Patil has had successful coaching stints with Kenya and Oman in the past and he too presents a strong case for himself. The likes of Amre and Rajput, both of whom have been tremendously successful at the domestic level, have already had personal coaching experiences with several Indian cricketers such as Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik and Ajinkya Rahane.

The interviews are expected to conclude Tuesday itself, but can also be extended to Wednesday. With the BCCI’s 1st Annual Cricket Conclave already in progress in Dharamsala, the decision on one of the most coveted roles in Indian cricket may come out soon.