The process of selecting a new head coach for the Indian team is gathering steam and after BCCI invited fresh applications for the role, there are reports that the Indian captain Virat Kohli will be kept away from the process and that, he will not have any say in the appointment of the new person.
The entire process will be overseen by a three-member steering committee which will be headed by former Indian World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev. The decision to exclude Virat Kohli from the process was taken keeping in mind what happened when Anil Kumble's tenure came to an end and Virat Kohli threw his weight behind the inclusion of Ravi Shastri as head coach.
Decision taken in mind keeping the earlier selection processes
Head coach Ravi Shastri along with Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun have all been given an extension of 45 days till the West Indies tour, which is slated to begin from August 3, it is unlikely that all three of them will continue to hold their positions after the tour. All three, however, automatically enter the selection process but will still have to reapply for the respective posts.
"Last time, the captain (Kohli) had expressed his difficulty, or the team's difficulty, with former coach Anil Kumble. In the new selection process, he will have absolutely no say with regards to who becomes the coach. This time, we have Kapil Dev in the coach selection committee, and he will not listen to him (Kohli)," a BCCI official told the Indian Express.
The steering committee will be led by Kapil Dev and will also have former Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy, They will select the coach and this will then be given a go-ahead by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators. Not only Kohli, but no member of the Indian team will also be consulted in the process.
"Support staff will be picked by the selection committee. Normally, we allow the head coach to do that (pick the support staff) for team building. This time, if the head coach is selected (before the selection of the support staff), he might join the process," the official said.
All the reports suggest, that the BCCI will announce the new management before the commencement of India's next home season against South Africa which starts on September 15.
