New coach for India before tour to Australia

The Indian board will appoint a new coach before the team's tour to Australia in December, Sharad Pawar, the board president, has said. Lalchand Rajput, the team manager since the ICC World Twenty20, will remain in the post for the series against Pakistan.

"We need to take a final decision on the coach's appointment before the Australia tour," Pawar said after an office-bearers' meeting in New Delhi. "After discussion with the coach selection committee, we will take a decision as soon as possible." The board has scheduled a Working Committee meeting on December 16 to discuss the issues put forth in the meeting today.

The coach selection committee, which includes former captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and S Venkataraghavan, twice postponed meetings to discuss the applications that the board has received regarding the post.

Meanwhile, the Asian Cricket Council is set to meet in New Delhi next month to decide on the scheduling of next year's Asia Cup so that it does not clash with the India Premier League. "Tentatively it [Asia Cup] will be held in June," Rajeev Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said.