Top shortlisted applicants for India coaching role

Ritwik Mallik - Online Indian Cricket Editor 17:33 20/06/2016
Who will bag the top job?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Cricket Advisory Committee – comprised of former India greats Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – will meet in Kolkata on Tuesday to interview the the shortlisted applicants vying for the post of the national team’s head coach.

In the initial round, the BCCI had received 57 applications for the job, including those of former Test captain Anil Kumble and former team director Ravi Shastri. Ahead of what is possibly the final round of screening on Tuesday, the BCCI has pruned the list down to a shortlist of 21 candidates, with the Advisory Committee having the power to shorten the list further.

The names on the list are yet to be announced by the BCCI, but Sport360.com has learned that along with the current coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Daniel Vettori, a slew of top names like Brad Hodge and Dav Whatmore have thrown their hat in the ring.

Here are the top ten contenders who stand a serious chance of landing the role.

ANIL KUMBLE (INDIA) 

The former India Test captain is one of the biggest names on the list and one of the front-runners for the job. Although Kumble doesn’t have any coaching experience at the highest level, he has served as the chief mentor of two high-profile IPL teams in Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians.

RAVI SHASTRI (INDIA)

With the backing of some prominent current players, Shastri is a strong player in the race to become India coach. The former India all-rounder served as the director of the Indian cricket team between 2014 and 2016, and oversaw a period of considerable success for the country.

Shastri also had a short stint as the interim coach of the national side during India’s tour to Bangladesh and later, England in 2007.

DANIEL VETTORI (NEW ZEALAND)

Sport360.com has learned that Vettori has put his name forward. Currently head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Brisbane Heat, former Kiwi skipper Vettori supposedly has the backing of India’s Test captain Virat Kohli.

TOM MOODY (AUSTRALIA)

Moody, the coach of this year’s triumphant IPL side, Sunrisers Hyderabad is a reputable name in the subcontinent. Since his international retirement, the Aussie has had successful stints with multiple sides including a second place finish with the Sri Lankan team in the 2007 World Cup, a semi-final with Kings XI Punjab in 2008 and a victorious run with the Western Australian state side.

SANDEEP PATIL (INDIA)

The former selector of the Indian national side, Sandeep Patil has had mixed results as a cricket coach. He served as the Indian coach for a short duration in 1996 and later went on to successfully coach the Kenyan national side that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2003.

Patil has also served as the Director of the National Cricket Academy in India and has coached the Indian Cricket League team, Mumbai Champs.

DAV WHATMORE (AUSTRALIA)

Long time aspirant, this would be Whatmore’s third shot at the Indian coaching job, having failed in 2007 and 2014. The Australian coached underdogs Sri Lanka to a World Cup win in 1996 and backed it up with impressive performances while coaching Bangladesh in the 2000s. In 2008, it was under his guidance that the young Virat Kohli-led side won the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.

Whatmore, the first director of India’s National Cricket Academy, has also coached the national sides of Pakistan and Zimbabwe, and was associated with domestic sides like Lancashire and Kolkata Knight Riders.

STUART LAW (AUSTRALIA)

Stuart Law has been Sri Lanka’s interim head coach in the past, and also enjoyed a nine-month long successful stint with the Bangladesh cricket team. The former Aussie cricketer has a lot of experience as far as coaching is concerned, his CV reading Australian national team batting coach, coach of the Australian U19 team, and head coach of Brisbane Heat.

He is currently the coach of the Queensland Bulls and was at one point associated with Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence.

BRAD HOGDE (AUSTRALIA)

One of the more inexperienced names on the list, Brad Hodge coached Gujarat Lions to the top spot in the league stage of the recently concluded 2016 Indian Premier League. Hodge’s involvement in T20 leagues as an active cricketer until recently holds him in good stead ahead of the all-important interview on Tuesday.

PRAVIN AMRE (INDIA)

One of India’s finest individual batting coaches, Pravin Amre is a big hit among India’s domestic cricketers. The former Mumbai Ranji team coach is currently the assistant coach of the Delhi Daredevils and has worked in a similar capacity with the Mumbai Indians as well. Amre’s biggest achievement as a coach was when he took the India colts to the Under 19 Cricket World Cup win in 2012.

LALCHAND RAJPUT (INDIA)

Lalchand Rajput was the team manager when India won the inaugural edition of the World T20 in 2007. The following year, he served as the head coach of the Mumbai Indians during the first edition of the IPL. Rajput has also had stints with the India U19 and ‘A’ teams.

Note: As per reports that emerged after publishing the original article, Tom Moody’s name was incorporated into the list (with a title change) on 20 June ’16 at 9 PM (GST).

Recommended