Published: Aug 20, 2019, 11:07 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2019, 11:19 AM (IST)
Former India international and selection committee member Vikram Rathour is tipped to be the front runner to replace Sanjay Bangar as men’s cricket team’s batting coach.
Rathour, alongside 11 other applicants, appeared before the national selection committee for the role of India’s batting coach on Tuesday, as reported by The Times of India. ALSO READ: India’s batting, bowling and fielding coaches to be named on Thursday
Rathour, currently the batting coach at the National Cricket Academy, was looking to coach the India ‘A’ and the U-19 teams in recent times, but the Committee of Administrators (CoA) refused to approve his appointment as there were issues of conflict of interest. But there should not be any conflict issue for the former selector when it comes to the national team role. ALSO READ: Three-member CAC re-appoints Ravi Shastri for two years after day of interviews
While the board shortlisted just six candidates for the head coach job – the eventually went to Ravi Shastri – there are a number of candidates in the fray to be part of India’s coaching staff, including Lalchand Rajput, Pravin Amre, Thilan Samaraweera, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Amol Mazumdar, J Arun Kumar, Mark Ramprakash, Shiv Sundar Das, Jonathan Trott, John Lewis, Sanjay Bangar and Mithun Manhas. ALSO READ: Jonathan Trott, Vikram Rathour, Darren Gough in fray for India’s batting, bowling coaching post
The overseas applicants submitted their presentations and were interviewed via video conferences.
“The race is going to be between Rathour, Amre and Bangar. All three have a good record. Now it’s up to the selectors to decide,” a BCCI source told TOI. “Whatever happens, it will be a close race. The candidate will be announced on Thursday,” the source said. ALSO READ: Former selector Vikram Rathour joins Pravin Amre in race to become India batting coach
The senior selection committee, led by MSK Prasad, is presiding over the an extensive process to pick the support staff. There is no world on the selection process for bowling and batting coach as of yet. The current support staff comprising Bangar, Arun and Sridhar and administrative manager Sunil Subramanium were given a 45-day contract extension covering the ongoing tour of the West Indies.
As per the criteria for batting, bowling and fielding coach, the three personnel should have played at least 10 Tests or 25 ODIs and be less than 60 years of age.
