IANS

New Delhi, Nov 14 (mb): An MBA graduate with no experience in playing cricket has applied to be the coach of the Indian team, a board official said Tuesday.

"One of the applications we have received is from an MBA graduate, despite the fact that he has not played any cricket. In the column where applicants have to state their cricketing experience, he has written that he has never played cricket," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"Further, he has written that he did not think it was essential to play cricket to coach a team. He said that it required a different kind of skill to manage the team," the official said. He declined to name the individual.

Currently, the Indian team has an ad hoc coach, former Test player Lalchand Rajput.

The team has not had a permanent coach since March when the two-year contract of former Australia captain Greg Chappell ended and he decided not to seek an extension.

Board president Sharad Pawar has said that a new appointment would be made before the team's tour of Australia starts Dec 20.

New coach before Australian tour, says BCCI
 
PTI

New Delhi: The Indian cricket team will have a new coach before the Australia tour and till then Lalchand Rajput will continue as the cricket manager of the side, BCCI president Sharad Pawar said here today.

After an office-bearers' meeting here, Pawar said the coach selection committee would meet soon to appoint a "new person" before the tough tour of Australia beginning next month.

"We need to take a final decision on the appointment of the coach before the Australia tour. After discussion with coach selection committee, we will take a decision as soon as possible. And we desire to select a new person before the Australia tour," Pawar told reporters here.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said Rajput would continue as the cricket manager of the national team till the end of the Test series against Pakistan.

The coach selection committee, which includes former captains Sunil Gavaskar, S Venkataraghavan and Ravi Shastri, was scheduled to meet in Mumbai on November 3 but the meeting was postponed indefinitely owing to Gavaskar's absence.

Incidentally, the committee had earlier also failed to meet on September 28 in Bangalore to discuss the applications. BCCI has received around 25 applications for the coach's job.

The Indian team has been left without a full-time coach since Greg Chappell quit the job after India's World Cup debacle in the West Indies. Since then, Chandu Borde (England), Ravi Shastri (Bangladesh) and Rajput (Twenty20 World Cup and home series against Australia and Pakistan) were roped in as makeshift cricket managers.

On the proposed Indian Premier League Shukla said the IPL governing council would meet in Jaipur on Saturday. "There will be media rights presentation and ratification of the players' contract. More than 40 foreigners have already joined IPL," said Shukla, a member of the council.

Shukla also said that the Asian Cricket Council would meet here next month to decide a convenient date for next year's Asia Cup to prevent a clash with the IPL. "The ACC meeting next month will decide the Asia Cup date, which should be convenient to all participating countries. Tentatively it will be held in June," he said.

The BCCI also decided to stretch its helping hand to Brazil, China and Cuba to develop the game there. The Board has also convened a meeting of its Working Committee on December 16 to put before it the issues discussed in Tueday's meeting.