Interview for India coach to be held on July 10, says former captain Sourav Ganguly

Cricket Advisory Committee member Sourav Ganguly, on Saturday, said that the interview to select the new India coach will be held on July 10 in Mumbai, reported PTI.

The former India captain is one of the three members of the CAC, along side Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

Ganguly set the date for selecting Anil Kumble’s successor shortly before leaving for London to attend MCC’s World Cricket committee meeting at the Lord’s on July 3 and 4.

July 9 is the deadline to apply for the coach’s job, which has been reopened for the second time to seek more applications after Anil Kumble stepped down, “The interview will be held on July 10 in Mumbai,” the 44-year-old said.

Former India team director Ravi Shastri has emerged as a front runner for the top job, for which the likes of Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput, Richard Pybus and Dodda Ganesh have also applied.

‘CAB can’t hold its AGM’

The Cricket Association of Bengal president also told its members that the body cannot hold its Annual General Meeting, scheduled later this month, due to lack of clarity on Lodha committee recommendations.

“Not sure what will happen next. We will wait for the Supreme Court hearing (on July 14),” the former India captain said. CAB’s legal counsel Ushanath Banerjee, who attended the meeting, said the association cannot hold an AGM because of pending issues before the Supreme Court.

“Holding of AGM will be wrongful and illegal unless the amendments as directed by the SC are effected which are in doubt as a number of issues are awaited for a final call in the apex court,” Ganguly said.

In an act of defiance, the structural reforms recommended by Justice RM Lodha and approved by the Supreme Court nearly a year ago have not been implemented by the BCCI and its members.

Lodha, a former Chief Justice of India, was irked by the BCCI’s defiance and critical of the Committee of Administrators for not being proactive enough, saying there was no ambiguity in the order.

But the CAB legal counsel Banerjee said: “A number of issues have been placed before the Supreme Court not only by the CAB but all over India including BCCI. The Supreme Court is saying they will hear. So till a full clarity is reached it’s difficult to implement.”

As per Lodha reforms, Ganguly will have to go for a compulsory ‘cooling off’ of three years having completed three years at the state association as secretary and president.

The CAB has partially implemented Lodha reforms as treasurer and former joint secretary Biswarup Dey, among others, were forced out of the association after completing nine years in administration. The total tenure in cricket administration (state and BCCI) will be cumulative of nine years.