Vikram Rathour set to replace Sanjay Bangar as batting coach, BCCI to retain Arun, R Sridhar

Former opener Vikram Rathour will be replacing Sanjay Bangar as India's new batting coach while Bharath Arun and R Sridhar were expectedly retained as bowling and fielding coaches respectively. BCCI released the shortlisted names for the support staff of the Indian cricket team on Thursday. 

The senior national selection committee headed by MSK Prasad has recommended three names each for all the support staff positions and the top names in each category will be appointed after the formalities with regards to Conflict of Interest declaration is complete.

According to a BCCI release, the All-India Senior Selection Committee met at the BCCI HQ in Mumbai to conduct the interview process to select the support staff of Team India (Senior Men). 

The five-member committee comprising MSK Prasad (Chairman), Sarandeep Singh, Gagan Khoda and Jatin Paranjape attended the process in person while Devang Gandhi attended via video conference.  

Beginning Monday, a total of 14 candidates for the position of Batting Coach, 12 for Bowling Coach, nine for Fielding Coach, 16 for the position of Physiotherapist, 12 for the post of Strength and Conditioning Coach and 24 for the position of Administrative Manager were interviewed. The entire process lasted four days and concluded on Thursday evening.

Here are the list of name shortlisted by the selection committee in the order of priority:

For Batting Coach

1. Vikram Rathour

2. Sanjay Bangar

3. Mark Ramprakash

For Bowling Coach

1. Bharath Arun

2. Paras Mhambrey

3. Venkatesh Prasad

For Fielding Coach

1. R. Sridhar

2. Abhay Sharma

3. T. Dilip

The 50-year-old Rathour, has played 6 Tests and 7 ODIs in 1996 without much success but was a domestic heavyweight for Punjab. He till few years back (2016) was a senior national selector under Sandeep Patil's chairmanship.

He had earlier applied for NCA batting consultant and U-19 batting coach's position but his application was put on hold as his brother-in-law Ashish Kapoor is the chairman of U-19 selection committee.

Former Mumbai Indians physio Nitin Patel, who was part of the support staff during the 2011 campaign, was back while Englishman Luke Woodhouse was appointed as the strength and conditioning (trainer) coach.

The other notable candidate to lose his job was incumbent administrative manager Sunil Subramaniam, who was removed for his alleged misbehaviour with top diplomats of the Indian government during the ongoing tour of West Indies. Subramaniam was replaced by Girish Dongre. 

(With PTI Inputs)