Phil Simmons quietly slides in his application for India’s next coach

The hunt is still on for India’s next coach after Anil Kumble’s recent annulment from the coaching job. With July 9 being the last day to file the application for the coveted post, aspiring candidates are shooting in their CV’s to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to grab the spot. The latest one to have thrown his hat in the ring is Phil Simmons, former West Indies opener and coach.

The BCCI table is teeming with applications from eminent names like Virender Sehwag, Richard Pybus, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, to name a few. Ravi Shastri who was out of contention had recently applied for the post, thus spiking up the competition. With so many big names coming in the fray, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will have a tough task at hand to select the best one.

Keeping in mind the discord which took place between Virat and Kumble and the former coach on condition of fierce disagreements between them, the BCCI would put everything on the table and look for any anomalies in selecting the next coach.

Simmons applies

Phil Simmons has expressed a pertinent interest in taking up the job and his quick tendering of the application is proof to that. The former West Indian has a healthy record to boast of as a coach. Windies won the World T20 title under his helm, and overall he had a spectacular run as the coach of the team twice. The 54-year-old had also coached the Irish national team, though that wasn’t the most fruitful stint.

July 10 being the D-day for announcing India’s next coach, the BCCI with the CAC will have to wrack their brains to select the best man for the job. India cannot afford another captain-coach debacle. And since Virat has a fondness for Ravi Shastri, speculations are rife that his application has a lot of weightage.