Lalchand Rajput joins race for post of Indian cricket team head coach

The race for the post of Indian cricket team head coach is gaining plenty of momentum with reports emerging that Lalchand Rajput has thrown his name in the race. Rajput was the manager of the Indian cricket team when they won the 2007 World T20 under MS Dhoni. According to reports, Rajput sent his application to the BCCI before the stipulated deadline from Dubai airport, while he was on his way to Canada. The BCCI had invited applications for positions of head coach, batting coach, bowling coach and fielding coach and had set July 30 as the deadline. The process to appoint the new head coach, as well as applications for batting and bowling coach was started after the 2019 World Cup semi-final exit against New Zealand.

Rajput is currently the coach of Zimbabwe team but has shown his interest in the India job after the ICC has suspended Zimbabwe Cricket for government interference. A source close to Rajput said if he is not considered for the head coach's position, Rajput has requested the BCCI to consider him for the batting coach. The former Mumbai opener, who also played for India, has also coached Afghanistan and domestic side Assam apart from a team in the T20 Mumbai League for two years. Current coach Ravi Shastri has already got a 45-day extension along with other members of the support staff till India's upcoming tour of the West Indies.

The new members of the Cricket Advisory Committee, tasked with selecting the next head coach of the men's Indian cricket team has been appointed. Kapil Dev, the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper, former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad and the first captain of the Indian women's team, Shantha Rangaswamy, are the members. The deadline for filing applications for the post of the head coach and support staff for the Indian cricket team is July 30.

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Incidentally, Kapil, Gaekwad and Rangaswamy were at the helm of the Cricket Advisory Committee when the BCCI invited fresh invitations for the post of India women’s cricket coach following the fall-out between Mithali Raj and Ramesh Powar after the end of the World T20 in 2018 in West Indies.

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There were notable names who had applied, including Gary Kirsten, who helped India win the World Cup after 28 years in 2011. Along with Kirsten, the other names in the list were Atul Bedade, David Johnson, Rakesh Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar, Owais Shah, Herschelle Gibbs, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Dominic Thornely, Gargi Banerjee, Vidyuth Jaisimha, Ramesh Powar, Colin Siller and Dav Whatmore.

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HIGHLIGHTS

• Ravi Shastri has gotten a 45-day extension until the end of West Indies tour.
• India lost in the semi-final of 2019 World Cup to New Zealand.
• ICC has suspended Zimbabwe Cricket for government interference.