Ravi Shastri
In August 2014, after India had capitulated to a 3-1 defeat in a Test series in England, Shastri, who had no prior senior coaching experience, was brought in as team director to work with head coach Duncan Fletcher. India went on to lose a Test and ODI series in Australia, but reached the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup. After that, Fletcher's contract was not renewed and Shastri continued as director, overseeing Test series wins in Sri Lanka, at home against South Africa and a win in the Asia Cup. He is understood to have developed a rapport with captain Virat Kohli during that period, which is one of the chief reasons he is considered the favourite to be named coach this time.

Phil Simmons
Simmons has coached three international teams - Zimbabwe, Ireland and West Indies. His 18-month stint with West Indies ended in September 2016 after he had disagreements with members of the West Indies Cricket Board and with director of cricket Richard Pybus, who is also a candidate for the India coaching job. His sacking came just four months after West Indies won the World T20. That was a rare high during Simmons' tenure with West Indies - the only other series win, in any format, under him was in a Twenty20 series against India, and the team slipped down the ODI rankings, leading them to miss the 2017 Champions Trophy.

His eight-year stint (2007-2015) with Ireland was more successful. With him as coach, Ireland won 11 trophies, qualified for every major ICC event and beat Pakistan, England and West Indies in World Cup matches. It was in sharp contrast with his tenure as Zimbabwe coach, from 2004 to 2005, which was fraught with disagreements with board members and ended with him facing deportation from the country.

Since being removed as West Indies coach, Simmons has coached St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the 2017 Caribbean Premier League and acted as a consultant to the Afghanistan national team.

Virender Sehwag
When he was appointed mentor of Kings XI Punjab in the IPL last year - his first coaching stint at any level - Sehwag brought to the job the free-spirited approach that had characterised his batting. Despite Kings XI finishing last in 2016, the management persevered with Sehwag and elevated him to head of cricket operations and strategy for the 2017 season.

Kings XI did markedly better this season and remained in contention for the playoffs deep into the season, before finishing fifth. Sehwag, 38, did not mince words after Kings XI's dire performance in their last game, lashing out at his overseas players for not pulling their weight.

Tom Moody
Moody will hope to be third-time lucky in the race for the India coaching job, after losing to Greg Chappell in 2005 and Anil Kumble last year.

Soon after his playing career wound down in 2000-01, Moody, a two-time world cup winner, was named director of cricket at Worcestershire before taking over as Sri Lanka coach in May 2005.

After guiding Sri Lanka to the final of the 2007 World Cup, Moody returned home to coach Western Australia. Ahead of IPL 2013, Moody was named coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad and he oversaw the team's title triumph in 2016. In 2014, Moody took up the role of director of cricket in the Caribbean Premier League. He is also the current director of cricket for the BBL team Melbourne Renegades, a post he has held since 2014.

Richard Pybus
After injuries restricted his playing career to a solitary List A game, Richard Pybus turned to coaching at a young age and achieved remarkable success. Apart from winning trophies with Titans and Cape Cobras in South Africa, Pybus, born and raised in England, coached Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup, when they made the final. His second stint with Pakistan in the 2000s wasn't as successful though.

In May 2012, Pybus took over as Bangladesh coach before resigning five months later because of a disagreement over the terms of his contract. A year later Pybus was appointed director of West Indies cricket for a three-year period.

Lalchand Rajput
A former Mumbai batsman with a first-class average of nearly 50, Lalchand Rajput's post-retirement career has been just as, if not more, fruitful. Rajput was manager of the India team that won the inaugural World T20 in 2007, and he has had successful coaching stints with the India under-19 and A teams.

Apart from coaching the Mumbai side in the Ranji Trophy, Rajput, 55, was with Mumbai Indians in the first season of the IPL in 2008. He was also one of the candidates interviewed for the India coaching job last year. While he didn't make the cut then, Rajput was appointed coach of Afghanistan soon after. He is currently with the Afghanistan team in the West Indies for a limited-overs tour.