Virat Kohli tells the CAC his preferred name as the new coach

While Anil Kumble did exceptionally well as the head coach of the Indian team in terms of results there are consistent reports of there being trust issues between the players and the coach, Virat Kohli and other seniors not liking him etcetera. Following that and right ahead of the Champions Trophy the BCCI put up an advertisement for the position of the coach of the Indian team.

Among the most prominent names who have applied are a serious Tom Moody and a very casual Virender Sehwag and Kumble who reapplied while he gets a direct entry to the personal interviews. The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman is expected to start interviewing the candidates by Thursday or Friday.

The contest is rather interesting – a lot of people eagerly await the call that will be made and at this point, it looks like a three-way contest with the others aiming to punch above their weight. It is a high profile job and thus the hype and the drama around it is expected, anyway, Indian cricket has never failed to deliver on the drama front off the field.

Along with the trio, there are the likes of former Indian cricketer Lalchand Rajput, Australian’s Craig McDermott and former Zimbabwe player Richard Pybus. With these six names in contention for the role, it is being reported that Indian skipper Virat Kohli still prefers Ravi Shastri as the coach of the Indian team.

Virat’s meeting with CAC

TOI reported that before the Indian team flew to London Kohli met Sachin and Laxman and suggested them to consider Shastri’s candidature and invite him for an interview. But Shastri who was denied the position last time hasn’t filed his application and thus it is highly unlikely that he will be considered.

The report further suggested that CAC will only interview Kumble, Sehwag, Moody and Pybus. While there is a slim possibility that the other two Indians who have been shortlisted – Rajput and Dodda Ganesh can be called for the interviews as well. “The interview process would start from either Thursday evening or Friday onwards. The CAC would meet the candidates individually and take the call later,” the source added.