BCCI to stick to coaching applicants

India will have a coach for the Australia tour © Getty Images

The Indian board (BCCI) says its will not look beyond the list of applicants for India's coach when it announces the team for the tour of Australia. Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said the BCCI had received around 20 applications and that the coach selection committee would zero in on those names only.

"We are not going to look beyond the list because we don't want to give undue importance to anyone," Shah told PTI.

Among those who have applied to succeed Chappell are Chandrakant Pandit, the former Indian wicketkeeper and Maharashtra coach, Richard Done, former head of the Queensland Academy of Excellence, Leicestershire coach Tim Boon, Kepler Wessels, the former Australia and South Africa international, Terry Oliver, Queensland's coach, Dave Nosworthy, coach of Canterbury, and former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe.

Shah also played down the fact that the coach selection committee - comprising former captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and S Venkataraghavan, joint secretary MP Pandove, treasurer N Srinivasan and himself - did not find time to meet but asserted the side would have a new coach before it left for Australia.

"Actually, we don't need to meet for that," he said. "We can share views via teleconference too. In any case, you would see a new coach before the Australia tour."

Since Greg Chappell quit after the World Cup India have been without a coach. Chandu Borde, Ravi Shastri and Lalchand Rajput have served as managers in the interim.