The coach has rights to recommend who he wants as support staff, CoA member Vikram Limaye

Vikram Limaye, who was appointed as a member of BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) by the Supreme Court, cleared the air concerning the controversy with the selection of the support staff of the Indian national team. He also spoke how there were various forces at work to derail the Indian Premier League (IPL).

BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) was given the task of appointing the head coach of the Indian team in consultation with the CoA. Among the ten candidates who applied, five were reportedly interviewed. Eventually, Ravi Shastri was named as the coach while Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid were appointed bowling coach and batting consultants for overseas tours.

The controversy

Controversy arose regarding Zaheer’s appointment with Shastri claiming that he was only a consultant. The newly appointed coach wanted to push for Bharat Arun for the position of the bowling coach.

“Advisory committee’s main task was to pick the head coach. The brief given to them was not to pick the support staff. The rest was their recommendation. Ultimately, it is the head coach who should have a say in who his support staff should be. Whether he needs permanent coaches or additional consultants for specific tours or conditions, the head coach can recommend. The head coach is well within his rights on these matters,” Limaye clarified in an interview with Times of India.

He also spoke about Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s involvement in the appointment. “The committee said they wanted to talk to Virat and there was nothing wrong with that either. There is no reason why captain should find out who the coach is through press. There were various channels and people saying this is a farce and Virat was making the decision, which is not correct,” he said.

On being asked if the CoA faced difficulties in conducting the IPL season 10, he said, “There were various forces at work trying to derail the IPL. That is factually correct. I have heard it from potential bidders too who were approached and asked not to bid. It was important to make sure a property like IPL doesn’t suffer, all credit to those who are in charge of the league who made it happen.”