Contrary to reports that Venkatesh Prasad has applied for the role of Team India coach to give frontrunner Ravi Shastri a stiff competition, the former India pacer has confirmed that he has not submitted any application to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the role.
Prasad also revealed that he might not do so before the July 9 deadline, but insisted that he is ready to take up the role of an assistant or bowling coach and contribute to Indian cricket once again. Notably, the 47-year-old is currently serving as junior selection committee chairman and his three-year contract will come to end in September.
"I have not applied for the head coach's role yet and might not do so before the deadline. However, I am very much keen to contribute to Indian cricket as an assistant coach or a bowling coach. I can work under Ravi Shastri or Virender Sehwag or whoever becomes the head coach and bring in my experiences as an international cricketer and a former coach," Prasad told Cricbuzz.
He added: "I am not sure whose prerogative it is to pick the assistant or bowling coaches but if the legends at the CAC - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman consider me worthy, I will be more than happy to work towards the betterment of Indian cricket."
The speed gun, who represented India in 33 Tests and 162 ODIs, had applied for the post in 2016, but he did not make the final list. Prasad though worked as Team India's bowling coach for a two-year term from 2007 and was part of the World T20 winning side's coaching staff in the same year. He also served as coach of the U19 side, which made the final of 2006 U19 World Cup.
Notably, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has extended the deadline for applying for the coaching role until July 9, saying it wanted a broader pool of candidates to choose from. Only former Indian cricketers Virender Sehwag, Lalchand Rajput, Dodda Ganesh along with Richard Pybus and Tom Moody had applied for the high-profile job when the initial advertisement for the job came before India's Champions Trophy campaign kickstarted in England.
Shastri joined the pool as a late applicant after reportedly being influenced by Sachin Tendulkar, who is also part of the three-member CAC, to reapply for the high-profile job. It is now evident that skipper Kohli wants the former Team India director to get back in the dressing room -- this time as head coach.
Kumble had also re-applied for the post but later withdrew it when it emerged that captain Virat Kohli had reservations with the leg-spinner's working style. Notably, the 46-year-old was supposed to travel with the team for the ongoing tour of West Indies, but he resigned days after India lost to Pakistan in the final of Champions Trophy 2017.
Many in the cricket fraternity believe Shastri is the frontrunner for the job, given his successful relationship with Kohli during his tenure as Team India director. However, it will be interesting to see how CAC member Sourav Ganguly deals with the former India all-rounder's candidature after the differences emerged between the two cricketers during last year's interview process, in which the latter was edged out by Kumble.
Fielding coach backs Shastri's approach?
Interestingly, Team India fielding coach R Sridhar has already compared Shastri's working style to that of Kumble. In a statement, which seems to back the former's approach, the support staff says that it is important for a leader to "yield to the demands of the group."
"Shastri was somebody who was character-based. He wanted characters in the team, so he worked on that kind of approach. He wanted to take that approach to the field. Kumble was someone who wanted to achieve excellence in his own way," Sridhar told the Hindustan Times.
He added: "What is important in today's cricket as a leader is to follow the energies within the group. It is important to be receptive. You have to yield to the demands of the group and you have to make sure that each guy is in the best possible space."
