Sourav Ganguly, a member of the three-man Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which is overseeing the interview process of India’s head coach, on Tuesday reiterated that they would keep skipper Virat Kohli in the loop before reaching any conclusion.
When quizzed if Kohli should be consulted for the appointment of India’s new head coach, Ganguly told the media, “I believe in that because captain is most important in cricket, so we respect his decisions and that is the way I feel and that is the way I have looked at the game and I have played the game in the last 20 years. Because at the end of the day, it is his team. He is going to lead the team out in the middle. He will be consulted. He will not be the main person and in fact he doesn’t want to be the main person,” Sourav Ganguly told media at the press conference.
Ganguly further said that Kohli is a ‘terrific’ player and that he respects the captain’s decision in the matter. Earlier, Ganguly had said that he, along with Sachin Tendulkar and V.V.S. Laxman, would speak with Kohli, who is presently in the United States, to explain about how each coach functions differently.
In total, five candidates were interviewed for the post of India’s head coach. Virendra Sehwag, Lalchand Rajput, Richard Pybus, Ravi Shastri and Tom Moody were scrutinized by the CAC.
Ganguly stated that the interviews went well and said that both Ravi Shastri and Virender Sehwag were good players. He also praised the other candidates and their cricketing credentials, adding that it was the committee’s job to select the best person for th job from the candidates.
However, it seems that the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators doesn’t want any further delay in this matter as they directed the CAC to announce the name of head coach by Tuesday evening. With regard to this, Ganguly said that CoA chairman Vinod Rai has the right to ask before adding that he would talk to the latter regarding the same.
The head coach position has been vacant since Anil Kumble’s resignation following India’s 180-run defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final at the Oval on June 18.
While announcing his resignation, Kumble had informed that skipper Virat Kohli had reservations about his work ‘style’ and his extension as the head coach, which prompted him to resign.
The BCCI had earlier stated that Team India will get their new head coach before their tour to Sri Lanka beginning July 26.
