BCCI CEO To Meet Team India In Jamaica To Get Feedback On Coach Appointment

Rahul Johri, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) CEO, has reportedly left for Jamaica to meet the Indian players who are currently playing an One-Day International series in the Caribbeans. Johri is meeting the players in order to get their feedback on the appointment of the new coach.

Earlier reports had suggested that Virat Kohli & Co. would have no role to play in the coach selection but sources in the know of things have revealed that the BCCI is keen to take feedback from the players and pass it on to the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) which has been assigned the responsibility of selecting the new coach just like they selected Anil Kumble last year.

“Yes, Rahul has left for Jamaica with permission of the Committee of Administrators (COA). He has been instructed with the task of getting feedback from the captain and the team. The team’s feedback will then be passed to the Cricket Advisory Committee to take all parameters into account,” a BCCI official close to the development told PTI.

Earlier this month, Virat Kohli had stated that the team would give any suggestion only if it is asked to do so by the board. The Indian team especially Virat Kohli is in the firing line of many after the way Anil Kumble stepped down as head coach.

“From a personal point of view, I can’t pinpoint anything or give details. We as a team, contrary to a lot of perceptions, only voice our opinions when asked by the BCCI for suggestions. So that is something we have always gone through as a process and that’s something we respect as a team,” Kohli had said.

Johri’s meeting with the players, meanwhile, is seen by many as the board officials’ attempt of trying to gauge the mood of the team after what happened with Kumble.

Venkatesh Prasad not in race:

Meanwhile, the source said that Venkatesh Prasad has not applied for the head coach’s post. The BCCI has extended the deadline for the coach’s application but the former India pacer has not applied for the post.

“Venkatesh Prasad’s CV is not there among those who have applied for the coach’s post. He is working as the chairman of selectors with the junior team. We don’t know who spread the news. Venky on his part never confirmed that he has applied for the job,” said the source.

So far, only Ravi Shastri has joined the five shortlisted candidates who had applied when the board had invited applications in May. The five candidates are Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput and Richard Pybus.