The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) Advisory Committee interviewed the shortlisted candidates for the coveted Indian Senior Coach role today. Several big names such as former Indian spinner Anil Kumble, National Team Director Ravi Shastri and former Sri Lanka Coach Tom Moody made their presentations at the Taj Bengal hotel in Kolkata. The advisory committee included former greats such as Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman.
During the marathon seven and a half hour interview session, foreign candidates such as Australia's Stuart Law and former New Zealand, Afghanistan Coach Andy Moles also gave presentations via Skype. Speaking to the media after all the interviews, Sourav said, “The process is now over, there will be no more interviews after this. The committee will now meet President Ajay Shirke this week to discuss the matter. It should be announced this week itself. Around 10 candidates gave their interviews today, we have made our choice and the name will be forwarded to the Secretary tonight itself.”
When asked about the influence of India’s cricket captains, Sourav quickly dismissed the notion. He said, “The BCCI empowered us to carry out this task, and there is no reason for them to take a call, we will forward it to the President and the final call is on him after that. Neither MS Dhoni nor Virat Kohli had any role to play in the selection.”
He added, “I cannot discuss the quality of each presentation, but I can tell you that we are trying to finalise the decision as soon as possible.”
The most high profile name among the 57 applications is Anil Kumble, who captained and took 956 wickets for India. However, Ravi Shastri also led the team to semi-final finishes in both ODI and T-20 World Cups, during his tenure as Team Director. A surprise absentee from the interview sessions was former Indian batsman and Kenya Coach Sandeep Patil. Sourav also confirmed that Patil’s interview was not conducted, without divulging the reason.
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