Rajput applies for pucca job

India’s success at World Twenty20 has prompted team manager Lalchand Rajput to look forward to a permanent position as coach at the national level.

India’s success at World Twenty20 has prompted team manager Lalchand Rajput to look forward to a permanent position as coach at the national level. Rajput had posted his CV to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the job of national coach, a position that has been lying vacant since Greg Chappell resigned.

Confirming this to The Indian Express, Rajput said that he “applied for the job after the Under-19 team had returned from the tour of Sri Lanka” last month.

The BCCI had delayed the appointment of India’s new coach after the Graham Ford fiasco and is now claiming that there are 15 to 20 applications in place from people who are vying for the job. Rajput’s CV, board secretary Niranjan Shah said, was the latest in the list of applicants.

Now, riding on the immense success of the Indian team in the world T20 tournament, Rajput’s wishlist continues to gain weightage even if it means a temporary posting. The board has confirmed that it will finalise the new coach only before the Pakistan series and therefore, an interim coach-cum-manager will be appointed for the seven ODIs against Australia. If board sources are to be believed then Rajput is the front-runner for the job.