Rajput made assistant coach

Board says appointment of Kirsten is only a formality

MUMBAI: The deck is clear for Gary Kirsten. It’s now clear that the South African will be the new Indian coach, but his date of joining is still unknown.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has stated that Kirsten’s appointment is almost certain and the contract will be signed some time next week. An official appointment could be made on Monday.

“The appointment of Kirsten is more or less confirmed,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said after the Board’s office-bearers met in Kolkata on Saturday. “Some nitty-gritty is yet to be finalised. It will take some time to make a formal announcement,” Shah said.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has appointed present cricket manager Lalchand Rajput as the team’s assistant coach.

The appointment, Shah said, was mainly because Kirsten would not be available for the whole part of the Australia tour. Kirsten, it is learnt, can join only after Christmas.

“We’re ok with his on-and-off visits during the Australia tour. But we’ve not yet received his schedule,” Shah added. Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad will continue as fielding and bowling coaches respectively.