The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : `No change in coach selection policy'

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Saturday, Jun 16, 2007
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`No change in coach selection policy'

Special Correspondent

Chennai: BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah has said the Board will continue with its policy of not advertising for the post of the Indian coach.

Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, he said, "We have always worked through references. We have our sources. The problem with advertising is that there could be plenty of unsuitable candidates applying for the job. We don't want that to happen. There will be no change in the process. This was the method with which we picked John Wright and Greg Chappell as India coaches."

Asked whether the Board had consumed too much time and come with too few names in its bid to appoint the Indian coach before the tours of Ireland and England, he replied, "The Indian team toured Bangladesh and the Board was in touch with a couple of candidates. Things did not work out."

Queried on the reason for the rejection of Dav Whatmore's canditature when he seemed certain to take over as the India coach, Mr. Shah revealed, "Yes, he was in the reckoning, but the inputs we had from some people did not go in his favour."

Mr. Shah added: "the names of the candidates chosen for presentations are not the only names discussed during the meetings. We might have debated on several more names and found them unsuitable or unavailable." Coaches, he argued, could not be brought off the shelves.

`No pressure'

On the issues of graded contracts for the cricketers and coach selection, he denied that the BCCI was giving in to pressure from the senior cricketers. "Let me make it clear, we are not at war with the players. The Board and the players are part of the same family. We have had discussions with the players, and if they make pertinent points we would certainly listen to them. This does not mean the Board will accept everything the players put forward. If there is consensus, it would be good for everybody."

He said there would be more discussions with the players on the question of endorsements.

Mr. Shah disagreed with the view that India should have selected a 17-member squad for the Test series in England to groom youngsters. "We have settled on the right number," he said.

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