BCCI asks Virender Sehwag to apply for the post of Team India Head Coach

BCCI has been inviting applications for the post of Team India Head Coach, and while Anil Kumble is a direct entrant for the post, the BCCI is looking for new candidates as well.

A BCCI top official has said that Virender Sehwag has been asked to apply for the post of the Head Coach, which means that he could be challenging Anil Kumble for the most important job in Indian Cricket.

“We have contacted Sehwag during the IPL and asked him to consider applying for the job of India coach. But he won’t be the only one applying because we expect other former players to also throw their hats in the ring,” a top BCCI official said.

Also Read: Virat Kohli talks about Anil Kumble’s role as Head Coach

“The board wants to go through the process of selection of coach again. Also, the next contract is likely to run until the 2019 World Cup, so even the length of the contract has to be taken into consideration before appointing the coach. We don’t want a scenario where the players and the coach are not on the same page” a BCCI insider shared.

Kumble has been having some differences with BCCI regarding the pay structure for the players, and maybe that is the reason why BCCI is trying to bring about a change at the helm of affairs in Indian Cricket.

While there is this pay dispute with BCCI, where Kumble wants the salaries of A grade players to be hiked, there are also reports that a few players aren’t really happy with Kumble’s methods as coach.

The deadline for applying for the job is 31st May.

BCCI CEO, Rahul Johri, said that this is the standard procedure for applying for the head coach position, and had to be undertaken at this point, as Kumble’s tenure ends right after the Champions Trophy.

“This is to ensure that the process remains fair. We don’t want a scenario where the decision to pick a coach gets influenced by what has happened in the pay negotiations where Kumble is bargaining hard with BCCI officials”