After Anil Kumble stepped down as a coach amidst many speculations, the replacement was expected on July 10th . At 6 PM Saurav Ganguly, July 10th , member of Cricket Advisory Committee, (CAC) announced that they were not ready to announce the name. They had decided who would coach but were not yet ready to announce the name. Ravi Shastri, Virendra Sehwag, Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput and Richard Pybus were interviewed. Phil Simmons could not attend the interview. The front runners were Virendra Sehwag and Ravi Shastri. Ganguly made it clear that he was only speaking the consensus reached at by Sachin and Laxman, both members of the CAC.
Anil Kumble the spin legend started his stint as the coach of the Indian team in 2016. India won eight series under his mentorship. In test cricket ratings India was moving up. BCCI was hoping Kumble would continue but the cracks within the team became very visible. Virat Kohli referred to Kumble’s way of coaching as “headmasterly ways.” Kohli even pushed the BCCI no to renew the contract of Kumble. Sensing the problems in the air Kumble put in his papers and so we are where we are today- waiting for the next coach.
So why did Ganguly meet the press if not to announce the name of the coach? He met the press to impress upon them that first they will speak to Kohli before making the name public. “Virat will need to understand how coaches operate. At the same time, you have to give credit to Kohli that he has stayed out of the coach selection process.” Ganguly also said that he wanted to make sure that there is a consensus and that there is no difference of opinion after six months. “The CAC will go out of the picture once Virat and respective board members meet to decide the coach of India,” he added. So it will some days before the name of the coach of the Indian team is announced; but it will be done before India Srilanka series which starts on July 26th.
