CoA disapproves fresh applications for India coach job after not being kept in loop

A new development has come to the fore in the Indian head coach saga. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had apparently invited fresh applications post the original deadline after Anil Kumble had pulled himself out of contention for the role. This, reportedly, has not gone down well with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). It is learnt that the CoA has officially expressed its displeasure over the BCCI not informing it about the decision to invite fresh applications for the position of coach after the withdrawal of Kumble, a report published in the Indian Express has confirmed.

According to the report, at a meeting last week in Mumbai, the CoA — Vinod Rai, Vikram Limaye and Diana Edulji — questioned BCCI CEO Rahul Johri as to why they were not kept in the loop while inviting fresh applications for the role and why there was even a need to do so in the first place. This, reportedly, is expected to figure in the minutes of that meeting. According to BCCI sources, the CoA did not buy Johri’s explanation that potential coaches had stayed away earlier because of the assumption that Kumble would be retained and hence more applications were invited.

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“Not everybody was convinced by Johri’s explanation and Phase Two of the coach selection process was seen as unnecessary. He was even asked if new applications were invited at captain Virat Kohli’s behest,” said sources.

When Johri was asked by the media as to whether he had consulted the CoA before sending out the second invitation on June 23 for candidates to apply for the coach’s position, Johri had reportedly said: “We had informed all concerned.” But reportedly even some BCCI officials were upset with the way the selection process has unfolded, with some pointing fingers at the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

The CoA reportedly is also upset over the BCCI’s reluctance to share three managers’ reports from last year when Kumble was the coach. “The CoA wants to know that if so much was happening behind the scenes in the dressing room, did the manager flag the rift?”

The report also stated that there is a feeling among some BCCI officials that the process of inviting applications was a farce as not a single applicant was interviewed even as CAC gave its verdict of giving Kumble an extension. However, it was only after he pulled back that more applications were invited, which does not make any sense given the first lot of applicants itself was not interviewed.

As of now, the CAC will meet on July 10 to start the process to select a new coach.