The BCCI said the final decision on appointing a new coach for the Indian team would be taken by the second week of June by a seven-member committee.
CHITTAGONG: The BCCI on Saturday said the final decision on appointing a new coach for the Indian team would be taken by the second week of June by a seven-member committee formed for the purpose.
BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, who arrived here as part of a four-member Board delegation headed by president Sharad Pawar, said, "The final decision will be known by the first or second week of June. The coach selection committee will meet in Bangalore on June 4 and within the next four-five days, things will be finalised."
Shah denied that that the Board's top brass had come here to talk to outgoing Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore, but said he was open for a discussion if the Aussie so desired.
"If he wants to meet me, I am open to it. There is no problem."
Shah, who is slated to return to India on Sunday, said the BCCI officials were here on an invitation from the Bangladesh Cricket Board and not to negotiate with Whatmore.
"We have come here on an invitation from the Bangladesh Cricket Board to watch the game. We had come here hoping to see Sourav and Sachin score a century. We have not come here to talk to Whatmore."
About the urgency of coach selection, Shah said this was because the team was due to leave for Ireland on June 20.
"That's the reason we plan to complete everything by June 10 and then have a camp for five days in Bangalore before going off for the trip."
Shah refused to say whether Whatmore was the front-runner for the job and claimed that the Board had some other names as well before it.
"It will not be right to talk about this now as the series is mid-way. The committee will decide everything. But we have a lot of names."
BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, however, said Whatmore led the race as far as the coach's job was concerned.
"Yes there are a few names. The BCCI is approaching it with an open mind. However, considering the availability of the best coaches, Dav could be a frontrunner," he said.
Shukla, however, made it cleat that Pawar would not hold any discussions with Whatmore at this stage.
"Ravi Shastri is here to talk to him. Pawar will not speak to him."
BCCI Chief administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty is the other member of the BCCI team.
India is without a full-time coach since former Australia captain Greg Chappell quit the job after the World Cup. The Board subsequently made a stop-gap arrangement by roping in Shastri for the Bangladesh tour.
Beginning the process for finding a successor to Chappell, BCCI last month constituted a seven-member committee headed by Pawar.
The other members of the committee are three former skippers, Sunil Gavaskar, Shastri and S Venkatraghavan, Board teasurer N Srinivasan and joint secretary MP Pandove.
Shah is the convenor of the committee.
Whatmore's name was doing the rounds for the post after the outgoing Bangladesh coach expressed his willingness for the job. Speculation was rife after the Sri Lanka-born Australian had preliminary discussions with Shastri on Wednesday.
Whatmore, who is set to step down as Banlgadesh coach at the end of the ongoing series, had later said that he was ready for the challenge if given an opportunity to occupy the hot seat.
"I have already conveyed my interest in coaching India to the BCCI. All I can say is I am ready for the challenge if the opportunity comes. I am as much ready to sink my teeth into problems and find out a solution as the BCCI would want me to," Whatmore said
The Aussie said both he and Shastri were satisfied with the short discussion.
"The discussion centered around how interested I am. I am satisfied with the initial discussion. I have said in the affirmative. We both are satisfied."
Whatmore coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup triumph in 1996 and guided Bangladesh to the Super Eight stage in the recent World Cup.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}