Mahela likely to apply for Indian cricket head coach post
As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited fresh applications for the head coach and support staff of the cricket team, Indian media has reported that some of the candidates who are likely to apply for the post include Mahela Jayawardane as well.
“Some of the candidates who are likely to apply for the post of head coach are Gary Kirsten, Mahela Jayawardhene, Tom Moody and Virender Sehwag,” the News Agency reported.
Kirsten was the India coach when the side lifted the 2011 ODI World Cup and is currently the head coach at the IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Jayawardene has led Mumbai Indians to 2 IPL titles and is fast making a name for himself as a coach in the cricketing circles.
Moody and Sehwag were the other candidates in the reckoning when Shastri was appointed in 2017.
Team India current support staff comprises of Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, batting coach Sanjay Bangar and fielding coach R Sridhar.
Ravi Shastri, the current coach, was appointed as India’s chief coach in 2017 after Anil Kumble’s tenure ended under controversial circumstances. The BCCI released a statement on Tuesday listing the minimum qualifications for the positions.
Application deadline for all the roles is July 30.
The statement by BCCI makes it clear that only applicants who have a two-year experience of coaching a Test-playing nation, or three years with an associate member/A team/IPL side, would be considered for the post of the head coach.
The candidate should have played at least 30 Tests or 50 ODIs.
India failed to chase the 241 set by New Zealand at the Cricket World Cup. The team management was heavily criticised for holding back MS Dhoni after the top-order was dismissed early. Sachin Tendulkar had referred to the decision to hold back Dhoni as a tactical blunder.
The current coaching staff would get a direct entry into the selection process. All the selections would be made by a three-member Cricket Advisory Committee comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
