In a nation where the game of cricket is viewed as national religion, the position of its cricket team coach commands the respect reserved for the Head Priest. India's apex cricket body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is now on the lookout for a suitable Head Coach for the Indian men’s team and the 'search' for a suitable coach seems to have attracted massive interest and response. The BCCI has defined and put up on its website the qualification parameters it seeks in the future Head Coach.
Ever since India won the 1983 World Cup, the Indian team’s game has been improving consistently and today, India is one of the top cricketing nations in all three formats – Tests, 50 Overs and T-20.
Not just the game, India has now emerged as the top revenue generating nation from cricket and is the largest contributor to the ICC kitty. The introduction of IPL has further cemented India’s position in the world of cricket and as a natural extension, the Indian team’s performance assumes great importance.
Therefore, it’s only expected that the coveted position of the Head Coach of the Indian cricket team generates maximum interest and applications. According to reports, the number of applications has already reached 57! The list of applicants includes well-known domestic and international cricketers.
The position of Head Coach became vacant after former Zimbabwean cricketer Duncan Fletcher stepped down as India’s coach in 2014. Ever since, India has had to make do with stand-in coaches with inputs from Ravi Shastri, who has been serving as the team director for the last 18 months.
BCCI was bogged down with its own internal issues and has only now taken up the coach selection process in right earnestness.
BCCI’s June 24 Meet at Dharamsala
The next crucial meeting of the BCCI is due to be held on 24 June at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. The meeting assumes importance as this will be the last opportunity for the BCCI to discuss crucial changes suggested by the Justice Lodha Committee prior to Supreme Court's verdict.
It’s very likely that BCCI will announce the name of the new Head Coach at the Dharamsala meet, as India leaves on a crucial tour of West Indies in early July, and BCCI would like the new Coach to take charge immediately.
Selection Criteria for the Head Coach
- The applicant must have coached a first class or international cricket team, in any of the member country of ICC.
- The applicant must have a recognized coaching certificate from any full member country of ICC.
- The applicant should be able to articulate his vision with a clear and defined program, for attaining leadership in all three formats of the game.
- The applicant must have exposure in using various tools to measure and map performance metrics and include aspects of sports psychology and sports medicine for optimizing player performance.
- The applicant will also be required to contribute positively to the NCA cricket development program.
- The applicant must possess a non-controversial and dispute-free record with boards of ICC or any of its affiliates.
