Amarnath questions policy of selection

Mohinder Amarnath, the former Test batsman who was one of the four candidates shortlisted, has questioned the validity of the process adopted by the board to choose the next coach. Amarnath, Tom Moody and Desmond Haynes lost out to Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain, when the board made the decision last week.

"How can the board judge the credentials of the future coach just through a mere presentation?" Amarnath told NDTV, a news channel. "I hope they will not follow the same procedure in future."

Amarnath was also critical of the fact that the BCCI did not even have the courtesy of informing him about Chappell's selection. "Nobody got in touch with me once they [BCCI] decided to have Greg Chappell as the coach," Amarnath said. "I would have appreciated it if they had informed me that this is the decision we are taking on that particular morning."

However, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the BCCI president, had said that the board had been unable to get in touch with Amarnath and Haynes to inform them about the decision.