NEW DELHI, SEPT 21: Former skipper and pace spearhead Kapil Dev was surprisingly appointed senior cricket coach to the Indian team today. The 40-year-old Kapil replaces his former teammate and ex-India opening batsman Anshuman Gaekwad.Gaekwad's term will end with the coming four-nation one-day cricket tournament to be held in Nairobi from September 25 to October 3 and Kapil Dev will take charge from New Zealand's upcoming tour of India starting on September 28.The cricket board's two-day AGM which began in Jaipur today named Kapil Dev to the post, considered less glamorous only to that of the captain and more importantly named a sorely needed physical trainer for the side by appointing South African Andrew Leipus from the Kiwi tour starting by this month end.The `Haryana Hurricane' had said he was willing to play a role in Indian cricket administration and that he was not averse to taking over as coach though former India skipper and current `A' team coach Krishnamachari Srikkanth was widely tipped to succeed Gaekwad.But Kapil Dev's appointment should inspire the players, grappling with poor fitness and injury worries, to lift their level of athleticism which remains a grey area for the team.When contacted, Kapil Dev said ``the board is yet to intimate me and I can't comment till that courtesy is extended''.
