Chappell checks in first

The process to find John Wright’s successor finally reaches its most crucial stage tomorrow when all the four short-listed candidates &...

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The process to find John Wright’s successor finally reaches its most crucial stage tomorrow when all the four short-listed candidates — Greg Chappell, Mohinder Amarnath, Tom Moody and Desmond Haynes — are interviewed for the Indian coach’s job in New Delhi. Of the three foreign candidates, former Australian skipper Greg Chappell arrived here this evening, via Mumbai, while both Moody and Haynes were expected later tonight.

The candidates, who will be interviewed in alphabetical order, would be grilled by the six-panel committee comprising former skippers Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Srinivas Venkatraghavan, board president Ranbir Singh Mahindra, secretary SK Nair and Jagmohan Dalmiya, from two in the afternoon. “We have yet to decide if the interviews will be held over two days or will be completed tomorrow. The decision will be taken by the board president after assessing the situation,” Nair told The Indian Express.

Chappell is considered to be the front-runner for the job though Moody could surprise him since he is the players’ choice and also has a recommendation from John Wright who has known him since his playing days.

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All four are due to make a presentation to the panel about their vision for Indian cricket besides facing some daunting questions from the panel members. The candidates are due to depart on Friday after the interviews, though it is likely that Moody and Chappell will travel to Sri Lanka to be interviewed for the coach’s job lying vacant there with the departure of John Dyson.

Sri Lanka has delayed appointing their new coach because the short-listed candidates — Chappell and Moody — were also in the running for the Indian job. Chappell is the favourite for that post too.

There is a likelihood that the panel will decide on a bowling coach for the team, an idea proposed by the chairman of selectors Kiran More, who is also in favour of a foreign coach.

“If we get Moody, it’s fine. Even Chappell would be good because he would understand the bowlers’ problems,” he told The Indian Express. It is understood that the seniors have suggested Javagal Srinath’s name for the bowling coach’s job though some members of the panel want a bowling coach who can help the swing bowlers utilise the new ball as well as the old.