Brijesh Patel may replace Hanumant as NCA director

Former Indian Test star Brijesh Patel is likely to replace Hanumant Singh as the director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

The Indian Cricket Board secretary, Jaywant Lele, told PTI from Baroda over phone that "in all probability Patel will replace Hanumant Singh as we want a youngster as the director while former Indian medium pacer Balwinder Singh Sandhu will replace Vasu Paranjpe as the coach. However, the final decision would be taken up at the NCA committee meeting to be held in Mumbai soon," he added.

According to another BCCI source, former Test star Polly Umrigar is another candidate for the director's post but age may go against him.

Meanwhile, NCA chairman Raj Singh Dungarpur told PTI today that the successor to Hanumant Singh would be chosen after the coaches seminar to be held in the first week of February 2001 where the two BCCI consultants Rodney Marsh and Geoff Marsh (both Australians) would be present.

"The two will short list the likely candidates and then a final decision would be taken at the NCA committee meeting soon after the seminar," he added.

When queried as to who would replace former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar, who quit as the committee member after a tiff with Dungarpur on Friday, he said "we are not in a hurry to find a replacement. In any case if he (Gavaskar) wants to withdraw his resignation, we will consider that as well. After all he is a young man who tends to get carried away at times," he added.