New Delhi:
India's hopes of World Cup glory ended when they lost by 18 runs in the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 clash in Manchester to New Zealand. Following the end of the tournament, changes have been proposed in the Indian cricket team backroom set-up. Ravi Shastri, the current coach of the Indian cricket team, has been given a 45-day extension until the end of the West Indies tour. There are changes in the batting, bowling and fielding coach set-up proposed and there have been over 2000 applications for the post of head coach. The appointment of the new coach will be decided by a three-member panel which will consist of Kapil Dev, Shantha Rangaswamy and Anshuman Gaekwad. However, there is one more candidate who has expressed his desire to be the head coach of the Indian cricket team in the near future.
Sourav Ganguly, the former India cricket team skipper who changed the fortunes of the side overseas during the early part of the 21st century, has outlined his aspirations when it comes to the future of Indian cricket. The left-hander has expressed his desire to be the head coach of the national side in the near future. Speaking in a function, Ganguly said, "Definitely, I'm interested but not at this point of time. Let one more phase go then I will throw my name into the fray. Currently, I'm associated with too many things -- IPL, CAB, TV commentary. Let me complete this. But I will definitely put my hat at some stage. Provided I get selected. But definitely, I'm interested. Not now but in the future," Ganguly said.
Ganguly added that he did not want to apply for the post in this year as there were too many big names already. "Going by the applicants, I don't see any heavyweight names. I heard Mahela (Jayawardene) would apply but ultimately he didn't. There are not many big names who have applied for the coach's job. Ultimately I don't know what the panel will decide. They have been around for a while. We will see how long the term the coach will give. Not many names have applied for," Ganguly said.
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One of the most successful Indian cricket captains, Ganguly was the chairman of the previous Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which picked Shastri as the India coach last time. The recently-appointed CAC, led by Kapil Dev with Anshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy as other members, is all set to pick the new coach.
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But it seems that Shastri, who has reapplied for the post, would get another term with the India captain Virat Kohli openly endorsing his candidature. Kapil Dev also said that the skipper's opinion needs to be "respected".
