The Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee tasked to appoint new head coach will not be prejudiced, former India coach and member of the panel Anshuman Gaekwad said on Wednesday.
The Kapil Dev-led committee, which also has former captain Shantha Rangaswamy as the third member, will conduct interviews as the deadline for filing the applications for the head coach and support staff was up on Tuesday.
Incumbent Ravi Shastri, who was given a 45-day extension after their contract expired at the end of the World Cup 2019, has already got the backing of skipper Virat Kohli, who said the team would be happy if the former India all-rounder continues.
“There’s no question of what Kohli or anybody else says,” Gaekwad was quoted by PTI, pointing out that the same committee did not consult anyone while appointing WV Raman as India women’s coach last year despite a lot of controversy.
“If you remember the appointment of women’s coach, there was a lot of controversy. But we didn’t take anyone’s opinion,” the former India batsman and coach said.
“See, whatever [Virat] Kohli or [Ravi] Shastri may say, we have to adhere to BCCI. He was asked about his preference [at the press conference] and Kohli gave his nod for Ravi Shastri. We have nothing to do with that. We are neutral and would go with an open mind,” the 66-year-old said.
He said the three committee members are awaiting the BCCI guidelines on coach selection as they are yet to discuss the matter among themselves.
“We will act as per the guidelines. We are waiting for that. I have been a coach in the past, so too was Kapil. The important thing is man-management, planning, and technical expertise,” he said.
Gaekwad added, “These three things are most important for a coach to succeed. The Indian team is doing well. But to get them to do better these are the three things. There are a lot of things. But these are the main things.We the committee are yet to talk within ourselves. We have no idea when we’re meeting. So, just wait and watch.”
Asked about his comments in the media that Shastri was likely to get a fresh contract as India coach, Gaekwad said: “Everyone has seen our performance and what happened in the World Cup. As a CAC member now, I do not want to give any opinion. At this juncture, I would not like to court anymore controversy by commenting about their performances,” he said.