Who will replace Le Roux?

With the BCCI top brass in London for the ICC meeting, the issue has been put on the backburner for the time being, but the Board’s headhunters – coach John Wright, physio Anrdew Leipus and le Roux himself – are busy scouting to fill the vacancy. Voices within the BCCI have suggested that the trainer will be a foreigner, and going by their experience, they have insisted that he preferably be a South African.

Taking stock of the top physical trainers in South Africa, the names that come up are: Andrew Gray (the man who le Roux replaced in the South African national team); Rob Walters (the trainer of South Africa’s National Cricket Academy) and Jeff Lunsky (Gauteng Province’s trainer, who had once caught Rahul Dravid’s eye).

Another name doing the rounds is that of recently-recruited South African trainer of the East Bengal football club, Kevin Jackson. But there seem to be a number of hurdles in Jackson’s move from the maidans of Kolkata to the Eden Gardens, since he has signed a six-month contract with the club.

East Bengal coach Subhash Bhowmik seemed in no mood to part with his trainer. ‘‘There is no way we will part with our trainer as we have signed a six-month contract with him,’’ he said.

The ideal candidate for the Indian job could be Gray, considering his international experience. After his explosive pre-World Cup report – in which he blamed the South African players of drinking, partying and overeating – was made public a few months back, Gary was not the most popular man around in the team. After the tri-series in Bangladesh he quit and le Roux got the SA job. A tough task master and strict disciplinarian, he would certainly fit in with Dalmiya’s way of thinking.

Walters too could be among the front-runners for the job. But when The Indian Express contacted him, Walters said that he has not been contacted so far, but was quick to add, ‘‘I am certainly ready for talks if an offer is made.’’

The outside chance is the Highveld Strikers (Gauteng Province) trainer Lunsky. Called South Africa’s fitness guru, he is a qualified ophthalmologist. He is also the coach of South Africa’s national squash squad. Lunsky too showed his eagerness for the Indian assignment and added, ‘‘When Dravid was in South Africa to treat his injury, he has asked me if I was keen to join the National Cricket Academy at Bangalore. Things didn’t take shape but I would be keen to take this international assignment.’’

The wild card in the race is former Sri Lankan trainer Alex Kontouri. The Sri Lankan Board was so impressed by his work that they named the state of art gymnasium at Colombo after him. But they parted ways on a sour note and this left Kontouri so disillusioned that went to Australia to start his own business.

But maybe the offer from seasoned hard-bargainer Dalmiya will be too tantalising to refuse.