Six names in contention for Team India's coaching duties

A few new names are in the running for the position of India’s coach along with the regulars. The tenure of the current coach, Anil Kumble comes to an end soon after the conclusion of the ongoing Champions Trophy. Incidentally, he is also in the final list of candidates who have applied for the job.

The other competitors are former India opener Virender Sehwag, Australia’s Tom Moody, former English cricketer Richard Pybus, Lalchand Rajput and Doddanarasiah “Dodda” Ganesh. A surprise for many was the absence of current India under-19 and India A team coach Rahul Dravid whose name wasn’t on the final list of those who have applied for the job. Also, despite recent spats regarding Kumble, he has also thrown his name into the hat.

Anil Kumble’s tenure

The Indian team has enjoyed much success under the watchful eyes of India’s most successful Test bowler. They won every series during the home season with a clean slate against England and New Zealand, winning the one-off Test against Bangladesh and the series against Australia after trailing 1-0.

However, there have been reports recently of a spat between Kumble and the captain, Virat Kohli. There have been comments by some Indian players on being “stifled” by the methods of the current coach. Kumble has also asked for a 150% hike in fees and separate captaincy fees for Kohli, both of which were not accepted by the BCCI.

Current contenders

The director of Kings XI Punjab Virender Sehwag is also in the reckoning for the job as well as the coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad and former Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody. India’s manager during their successful campaign in the World T20 in 2007, Lalchand Rajput is also in the list. He is also the current coach of the Afghanistan team. Also in the list are Dodda Ganesh and Richard Pybus who have previously coached Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively.