With Indian coaches starting to do well, the BCCI might shortlist some of the top Indian names for the coach’s job, which is up for renewal after the World Cup.
According to sources, the board hasn’t paid much attention to who could be the next coach, but its open to breaking away from the past system of hiring foreign coaches.
With some three Indian specialist coaches already with the current team, the board won’t mind an Indian at the helm of affairs.
Indications are that if India goes all the way in the World Cup, team director Ravi Shastri could be asked to stay on with Team India. The board may even offer longish terms of agreement to him and that too on a better pay package.
Under those circumstances, the board may be tempted do away with the system of head coach. The team director could also become the manager instead of a head coach, like it happens in football.
When Drcricket7 asked some of the top BCCI bosses, no one was ready to commit if Shastri would actually continue with the team in a bigger role, but no one overruled it either.
“With the World Cup round the corner, the board is certainly not thinking beyond it. We will cross the bridge when we come to it,” was what a top BCCI official said.
He also emphasized that BCCI’s contract with Shastri is till the World Cup and if things need to move ahead after the event, the opinions of the key players would be taken for sure.
With some of the top Indian cricketers already showing their trust on home grown coaches like a Praveen Amre, the BCCI is not ruling out a possibility of hiring an Indian for the job. If the team does well in next two months, even Sanjay Bangar & Co. could be given an extended run with the team.
Reportedly, MS Dhoni recommended Mike Hussey’s name for the job, which the board denied. Later, even Hussey reacted to Dhoni’s offer and said he can’t take the job as he still intends to play competitive cricket.
