Shastri top contender, six to be interviewed

TIL Desk Sports/ Former team director Ravi Shastri will be the front-runner when the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) meets here on Monday to scrutinise candidates for the high-profile job of Indian men’s cricket team coach.

For the record, BCCI received 10 CVs — Shastri, Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, Lance Klusener, Rakesh Sharma (Oman national team coach), Phil Simmons and Upendranath Bramhachari (engineer with no cricketing background).

It is learnt that the CAC will interview six of the 10 candidates. As per sources, the six likely candidates are Shastri, Sehwag, Moody, Simmons, Pybus and Rajput. Klusener, as of now, may be kept on stand-by but has very little or no chance of getting the job.

The position had fallen vacant after former head coach and legendary spinner Anil Kumble resigned from the post before the West Indies series due to differences with skipper Virat Kohli. After the Kumble-Kohli saga, the CAC will have to be prudent in its choice as the new coach will be given a two- year contract.