BCCI advertises for India head coach position

New Delhi: The recruitment process for one of the most high-profile coaching jobs in cricket began formally on Wednesday, with the Indian cricket board finally inviting applications for the position of head coach for the Indian cricket team.

In an advertisement released on its website, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that interested candidates should send in their applications before 10 June.

The advertisement contained nine specific requirements the candidates had to fulfil should they be considered for the role.

These include:

1. “Should have successfully coached a cricket team of any of the member countries of the ICC, at the first class or at the International level.”

2. “It is preferred that the candidate should be qualified through a certification/assessment program conducted by any of the full member countries and currently possess such a valid certification.”

3. “Should be able to prepare and present a coaching plan elaborating the approach for ‘Team India’ to attain leadership position in all formats of the game.”

4. “Demonstrate methods/tools to effectively measure individual player performance and present metrics to the Board, which will in turn measure the performance of the team, on a consistent and timely basis.”

5. “Demonstrate an understanding and ability of employing a multi disciplinary approach that will include sports psychology and sports medicine, and effectively manage the work load of the players, thereby enhancing their contribution to the cause of the team.”

6. “Communication skills befitting the coach of an International team are mandatory along with the ability to effectively convey the right messages and must demonstrate proficiency in English. It is desirable to communicate in Hindi and other regional Indian languages.”

7. “Should be well versed with the latest technologies/trends in sports software and ability to utilise the same, which will assist in analysing/ improving the performance of the player and the team.”

8. “Mandatory that the candidate should have an impeccable personal record, devoid of any past or current disputes, with any of the member boards of the ICC or its affiliates.”

9. “Demonstrate plans and ability to contribute to the NCA Cricket Development Programmes and forecasting/planning to develop the next generation cricketer and agree to make themselves available for the NCA, as and when they are not with the team.”

India’s national team has been without a full-time coaching setup since the contracts of team director Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and batting coach Sanjay Bangar and fielding coach R Sridhar expired after the World T20, which was held earlier this year. Last week, Bangar was appointed head coach for India’s tour of Zimbabwe, starting 11 June. Former Railways captain Abhay Sharma was appointed fielding coach for the tour. Sharma served in a similar capacity with the India Under-19 and India A teams.

Several candidates, both domestic and international, have been linked with the position in recent weeks. These include India A and Under-19 coach Rahul Dravid, Rising Pune Supergiants coach Stephen Fleming, Michael Hussey, Daniel Vettori, who trains the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Yorkshire’s Jason Gillespie among others. Interestingly, Shastri and his team of assistants (Arun, Bangar and Sridhar) are also expected to re-apply for the post.

The new coach, it is expected, will assume charge before India’s upcoming Test tour of the West Indies in July.

The advertisement quoted the newly appointed BCCI secretary, Ajay Shirke as saying, “Shortlisted candidates will be called upon to present their credentials and plans, in person for further evaluation.”