Sandeep Patil applies for India coaching job

One week remains till the deadline for applications for the role of Team India coach is closed on June 10, and the first name to have confirmed his interest in the position is current Chief Selector of the team, Sandeep Patil. Some other names to have shown interest have also come up, with Ravi Shastri also expected to be one of Patil’s rivals.

The BCCI had recently advertised for the position, with a list of nine criteria which the prospective coach had to meet. There was some hue and cry made about one point which stressed on Hindi speaking skills, after which that point was modified to being ‘not mandatory’ after all, and that ‘any Indian language’ would do. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the first rush of applicants are Indians.

“I have just applied,” Patil has confirmed. He had taken over as Chairman of the Selection Committee in 2012, and his 4-year term is about to end. It is thought that BCCI officials have persuaded Patil to apply for the position, but there has been no reaction on this from the former India player (1980-1986). His CV has now been learnt to have reached BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke.

Current selector Vikram Rathour, Pravin Amre, Lalchand Rajput, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar are some other names who have expressed their desire to throw their hat in the race.

Patil’s impressive track record

Patil’s stellar record as a coach is something that works in his favour, apart from the fact that he has had one stint as India’s head coach before, though for a very short while. He was first given the job in 1996, but that ended in not much success, as India lost a Test series in England, and he was shown the door within six months of his appointment.

He was at the position for 3Tests and 18 ODIs.

However, since then, he has made a mark in world cricket. He guided Kenya to the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup, and has also helped Oman qualify for the ICC Trophy. He has also had stints coaching India 'A' and at the National Cricket Academy. He was one of the ex-cricketers to have signed up for the ICL, but was gratefully re-accepted into the fold on the folding of that league.

“His tenure is coming to an end and he fulfils the criteria to become a coach. Any current selector can apply,” a top BCCI official is reported to have told Indian Express.

Sanjay Bangar, who is currently with the team as interim coach for the Zimbabwe tour, is also expected to apply, but it is Rahul Dravid who many people will want to take up the responsibility. A new coach is expected to be named on June 25.