Four possible candidates who could become India's next head coach
During the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, there were reports of a rift between the Indian captain Virat Kohli and the head coach Anil Kumble. Initially, the pair denied any such disagreements. However, the rumors proved to be true at the end of the tournament.
Anil Kumble’s infamous exit from the Indian team created several outrages among the Indian cricket fans, former players, and experts. In July 2017, Ravi Shastri, another former Indian cricketer, replaced Kumble as the head coach and under Shastri, Indian cricket witnessed a notable rise in quality.
With Shastri’s tenure nearing the end, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently invited the applicants for the head coach role and other support staff roles. With Shastri set to receive an automatic entry in the recruitment process, here is a look at four other possible candidates who could become the next head coach for India.
#4 Simon Katich
Former Australian batsman Simon Katich represented his nation for almost two decades, with his unique batting stance and trigger movement often compared with the style of former West Indies cricketer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
After the 2010-11 Ashes series, Katich was infamously excluded from Australia’s central contract list. Even though his international career came to an abrupt end, he continued to play in the domestic scenario for the next three years. Having led the Perth Scorchers to their maiden BBL trophy in the 2013-14 season, Katich called time on his playing career.
In October 2015, the Kolkata Knight Riders roped in Katich as the assistant coach to support head coach Jacques Kallis. After four years as an assistant coach, he recently parted ways with KKR. Besides, Katich has been coaching the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League since 2017. Under his guidance, TKR have won the CPL twice.
At the start of this month, the Manchester-based side in The Hundred appointed him as their head coach. With some other established names in the race for claiming the spot, Katich has only an outside chance of becoming India’s next head coach.